Twitch is the largest game live streaming platform in foreign countries, with hundreds of millions of users and streamers. However, it was recently reported that Twitch will withdraw from the South Korean market in February next year due to high operating costs.
The root cause of the network charging problem in South Korea is that the network operators in South Korea believe that the live streaming platform is taking up too much network bandwidth, and the construction and maintenance costs of this bandwidth are paid by the network operator, so they require the live streaming platform to pay additional network construction costs. Twitch, on the other hand, believes that this is unreasonable because they have already paid all the network and other fees in accordance with the regulations of South Korea, and their users are also customers of the network operator, and they are entitled to high-quality network services. As a result, the two sides previously had disagreements on this issue, which led to Twitch having to reduce the quality of live broadcasts in the Korean market, or even withdraw from the Korean market.
South Korea's network charging problem is actually a long-standing problem, as early as 2010, there was a so-called "cyber war" in South Korea, when South Korea's three major network operators SKT, KT and LGU+ had a fierce conflict with foreign ** platforms YouTube and Netflix, both sides accused each other of occupying too much network resources and demanded that the other pay more for the network. This "cyber war" has lasted for many years, during which the two sides have reached some compromises and agreements, but they have not solved the problem fundamentally, but have led to a decline in the quality and speed of South Korea's network, as well as an increase in South Korea's network costs. According to statistics, the operating costs of Twitch in South Korea are more than 10 times that of other countries, and South Korean network operators will also limit the traffic and speed of users, affecting the user's online experience.
South Korea's network charging problem not only affects foreign ** and live broadcast platforms, but also affects South Korea's local ** and live broadcast platforms, as well as South Korea's game live broadcast industry. South Korea is a gaming powerhouse with a large number of gaming enthusiasts and streamers who need high-quality web services to support their games and live events. However, South Korea's network fees have made their network services expensive and inefficient, affecting their gaming and streaming experience, as well as their communication and interaction with gamers and streamers abroad. This impact could be even more severe if Twitch withdraws from the South Korean market, as Twitch is the largest game streaming platform in foreign countries, with hundreds of millions of users and streamers, and is an important platform for game streaming enthusiasts and streamers in South Korea.
I don't know if there will be Korean trucks delivered to the door of the network operator in the next few days.