Faker's victory is useless! Korean media reveals that LCK is entering a risky phase with pay-to-watch causing controversy.

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Following the end of the S15 season, major teams in both the LPL and LCK regions have mostly finalized their transfers, and the new tournament phase is approaching. The yearly KeSPA Cup in LCK is also on the horizon.

During this period, Korean media has leaked that the LCK might introduce a paid viewing model.

KeSPA Cup roster announced, T1 to participate with full main lineup.

The KeSPA Cup in Korea's LCK region is equivalent to the Demacia Cup in the LPL region, usually held after the transfer window closes. Although it carries less prestige than the league or World Championship, it is the only event worth watching during the off-season, with most teams sending their main rosters.

This year, the KeSPA Cup’s significance will increase as Korean media reports it will be directly linked to next year’s Asian Games, prompting many teams to send their full-strength lineups.

Recently revealed rosters for the KeSPA Cup show T1 and HLE sending all their starters. T1 will field their championship lineup plus the new bottom lane player Peyz, while HLE’s Kanavi and Gumyuasi will also compete. Notably, Scout, who previously played in the LPL, will participate with his team NS, which is also sending its main roster.

Therefore, fans might witness a showdown between Scout and Faker during the KeSPA Cup.

Regarding GEN, Chovy and Ruler will be absent, and KT has not sent its main roster. Even though the event links to the Asian Games, some teams have opted out. Possibly, Faker has already secured his national team spot early, Ruler’s chances are slim, and since Chovy and Ruler were main players in the last Asian Games, their absence this time is understandable.

Korean media exposes LCK’s reckless move.

Following this, Korean media revealed that the KeSPA Cup will adopt a pay-to-watch system, with LCK partnering exclusively with Disney for streaming via a paid platform. Domestic insider Hongcha checked the pricing, which is about 75 RMB per month or around 740 RMB annually.

This decision has sparked massive controversy. While many traditional sports have adopted pay-to-watch models, for LOL this seems like a self-destructive move. In forum polls, most viewers oppose this and have started criticizing the LCK region.

The KeSPA Cup is the first to try pay-to-watch, and if successful, LCK might fully switch to this model next year, profiting heavily from subscribers. This reminds many fans of the NBA’s transition from free viewing to a tiered VIP system, which essentially reflects declining viewership.

Moreover, the monthly fee of over 70 RMB is considered too high. Fundamentally, LCK hasn’t been profitable in recent years and seems to be trying to recoup losses by monetizing its fanbase, especially teams like T1 with huge followings.

Faker’s championships don’t help; LCK continues to suffer losses.

Comparing to NBA-type events, the NBA’s pay-to-watch model works partly because traditional sports have strong appeal and many popular teams. By contrast, LOL’s esports trying to emulate traditional sports is somewhat overambitious.

Additionally, within LCK, only T1 qualifies as a high-profile team. Others like GEN and HLE have far fewer fans, meaning the pay model limits fan spending capacity.

The ongoing losses in LCK remain a fact no matter how many titles Faker wins. Despite LCK’s high professionalism and world-leading league strength, club survival is still tough, which partly explains why T1 couldn’t retain Gumyuasi.

From this perspective, the chance of LCK adopting pay-to-watch is quite high. In contrast, although LPL’s performance has declined and the environment worsened, part of LPL’s revenue is allocated to LCK by Riot, so LPL will unlikely implement pay-to-watch, or it would truly signal a downturn.