The competition in South Korea's Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming market is heating up, with major players adopting unique strategies to attract and retain subscribers. While the impending merger of local giants TVING and Wavve aims to challenge Netflix's dominance, platforms like Coupang Play and Disney+ are carving out their own niches with bold content and pricing strategies.
Coupang Play is doubling down on its sports offerings by securing the exclusive South Korean broadcasting rights for Major League Soccer (MLS). This deal, which includes live Korean commentary for all LAFC games—the team of star player Son Heung-min—aims to capture a dedicated audience that was previously served by Apple TV+. To further solidify its position, Coupang Play is also launching "Sports Pass," a paid subscription service for sports, and "Coupang Show," a dedicated soccer talk show, reinforcing its identity as a go-to platform for sports enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, Disney+ is leveraging a different tactic: aggressive pricing. The platform is running a promotional event until September 28th, slashing its annual membership fee by 50% from ₩9,900 to ₩4,950 per month. This move is strategically timed with the release of the highly anticipated original series "Polaris," starring renowned actors Jeon Ji-hyun and Gang Dong-won. With a relatively low market share of around 6% in South Korea, Disney+ is hoping this combination of a big-budget series and a significant price cut will drive a much-needed increase in subscribers.
According to market research firm WiseApp/Retail, these strategies are already showing signs of success. In August alone, Coupang Play and Disney+ saw their Monthly Active Users (MAUs) increase by approximately 330,000 and 120,000, respectively. In the same period, TVING and Wavve experienced a decline in MAUs, and even Netflix's growth stagnated with only a 10,000 user increase.
However, experts caution that this short-term influx of users may not be sustainable and could lead to a "cherry-picker" phenomenon, where consumers subscribe for a specific promotion or piece of content and then quickly churn. While the combined MAU for South Korean OTT services has grown from 17.28 million in 2022 to 20.89 million in 2025, user engagement remains a concern. A study revealed that while the average South Korean smartphone user has two OTT apps installed, they only actively use an average of 0.7 apps.
Industry insiders emphasize the need for platforms to develop a unique brand identity to foster brand loyalty and prevent user churn. Cultural critic Kim Heon-sik suggests that in a saturated market, securing a "core fandom" is crucial. He advises platforms to focus on creating distinctive content, community features, and other differentiated strategies that will ultimately determine their long-term success.
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