[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Naver’s (NAVER(035420)) streaming platform, Chizichik, recorded concurrent viewership in the high 4 million range for two consecutive matches during its broadcast of the South Korean national team’s games at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

According to Naver on the 19th, Chizich recorded a peak of 4.78 million concurrent viewers during the broadcast of the South Korea-Mexico match. This is the second-highest figure, following the all-time record (4.825 million) set on the 12th during South Korea’s first group stage match against the Czech Republic. With massive viewership in the 4 million range for two consecutive matches, Chizich continued to ride the World Cup wave.

Previously, during the match against the Czech Republic, Chizich recorded a peak of 4,825,000 concurrent viewers through its dedicated broadcast channel and “watch-together” streams hosted by popular streamers. This figure is more than six times the previous record of 760,000 concurrent viewers achieved last November during the “2025 LoL World Championship” via the same channels and streamer collaborations.

User traffic remained high during the match against Mexico as well. Compared to the peak concurrent viewership of around 283,000 during the matches against the Netherlands and Japan, it is clear that interest in the South Korean national team’s games significantly boosted traffic on Chizich.

Chijichik’s “Watch Together” feature has also established itself as a key driver of the World Cup’s popularity. During the World Cup, the cumulative number of streamers who hosted “Watch Together” sessions on Chijichik reached approximately 953. For the match against Mexico, partner streamers such as Han Dong-sook and Pung Wol-ryang, along with TV personality Lee Kyung-kyu, soccer-specialized channels Shoot for Love, and E-Star TV, joined in to watch the game together.

Interest is also mounting for the third match against South Africa on the 25th, as the recently popular idol group Lisenne’s “An Won-jal-bu” has announced they will join a “Watch Together” session. The practice of enjoying both exclusive broadcasts and streamers’ broadcasts simultaneously on Chizichik appears to be expanding beyond game broadcasts to sports content in general.

Naver’s World Cup prediction event is also driving user participation. Participants who correctly predict the results of all matches in each round will split a prize of 1 million won in Naver Pay; the first round of the group stage attracted 532,821 participants. The second round of the group stage drew 344,809 participants, and the third round had 143,688 participants.

Amid the World Cup buzz, the technology deployed by Chizich to handle the massive surge in traffic is also drawing attention. To prepare for broadcast environments where viewers surge explosively in a short period—such as during the World Cup—Chijichik significantly expanded its CDN capacity beyond normal levels and applied real-time traffic adjustment technology. A CDN distributes video content across multiple servers and streams it from the server closest to the user. It serves to distribute transmission paths so that requests do not concentrate on a single server, even when millions of people are watching the same video simultaneously.

A Naver official explained, “By incorporating real-time traffic adjustment technology, Chizichik reduced server load and maintained a stable viewing environment even during peak traffic periods.”

Viewing quality was also managed in real time. Chijijik collected and analyzed users’ playback status—including buffering incidents, access paths, video quality, and viewing duration—and incorporated this data into its operations. This allowed the platform to minimize video quality degradation even during sudden spikes in traffic and respond quickly to potential outages.

Low-latency technology was also implemented to enhance the immersive experience of “Watch Together” content. Chizichik reduced latency between streamers and viewers using LL-HLS technology, a low-latency mode. This is a key factor in strengthening real-time interaction during “Watch Together” broadcasts, where the streamer’s reactions and chat participation are crucial.

AI-based content features are also being enhanced. Naver is providing AI-generated short-form clips in real time during World Cup live broadcasts and quickly uploading VOD highlights by player and match after the games end. This approach expands World Cup content consumption by allowing users who missed the live broadcast to rewatch key moments in short videos.

Naver plans to use this World Cup as an opportunity to expand the application of new AI-powered features to major live content offered on Chizchiz. This includes the EWC, a global esports tournament featuring the world’s top teams across various game genres, and the LCK, South Korea’s professional League of Legends league. A Naver spokesperson stated, “We plan to create an immersive viewing experience.”