South Korean broadcasters hit with complaint over alleged sports-broadcast collusion
( June 30, 2025, 06:47 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: South Korea’s three terrestrial broadcasters — KBS, MBC and SBS — have been reported to the the country's competition watchdog by JoongAng Group for allegedly colluding to monopolize sports-broadcasting rights through a long-standing agreement. According to JoongAng, the three broadcasters formed a body called the Korean Sports Broadcast Development Association and have, since 2011, used a confidential pact to jointly purchase rights and block outside competition. The agreement allegedly includes a penalty clause requiring any broadcaster that violates the terms to compensate the others, effectively locking them into the arrangement. JoongAng argues this constitutes unfair collusion and a collective refusal to deal, citing past incidents such as the rejection of JTBC’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics proposal and a coordinated refusal to participate in a recent bidding process for Olympic and World Cup broadcast rights. The company said the complaint, submitted to the Korea Fair Trade Commission, aims to restore fair competition and protect viewers’ access to diverse broadcasts. The statement, in Korean, follows:...
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