Screentime

Netflix Bolsters Live Streaming With Splashy WBC, BTS Events

BTS perform onstage during their comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 21.Source: Kyodo News/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Sohee Kim

March 24, 2026 at 5:26 PM UTC

Updated on

March 25, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

Netflix Inc.’s push into livestreaming mega events in Asia is set to accelerate, buoyed by hits from the World Baseball Classic to BTS’s comeback show that drew in waves of new, younger viewers.

Viewership for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, streamed exclusively on Netflix in Japan, hit a record 31.4 million over the two-week tournament, the company said in a statement. BTS The Comeback Live | ARIRANG, staged at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Saturday evening, drew 18.4 million viewers globally, becoming Netflix’s most-watched title last week and the No. 1 show in 24 countries.