KBS drew the largest television audiences over the Chuseok holiday with sports and music programming. Exclusive broadcasts of major events at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games posted high ratings, and a large-scale music show marking the 40th anniversary of singer Lee Seung-chul's debut ranked first in its time slot, giving the broadcaster the edge in holiday ratings competition.
KBS exclusive broadcasts of Asian Games events, including the women's basketball final, took the top ratings spots. The women's basketball final, carried live and exclusively on KBS 1TV on the 26th, drew a nationwide rating of 10.3%, according to Nielsen Korea. That was the highest figure for any event since the Games opened, and the rating peaked at 19.3% during the match. It also topped the 6.3% nationwide rating for the men's soccer quarterfinal against Vietnam, broadcast on KBS 2TV the previous day.
Several other KBS exclusive broadcasts also ranked near the top. The men's high jump final featuring Woo Sang-hyeok, aired on the 27th, drew a nationwide rating of 9.8% and a real-time peak of 16.1%. The men's 200-meter track event drew a nationwide rating of 7.5%.
KBS also exclusively carried the women's balance beam final and the women's table tennis doubles quarterfinal. Hwang Seo-hyun won South Korea's first gold medal in the balance beam in 40 years, drawing wide attention, while the table tennis doubles quarterfinal featuring Shin Yu-bin recorded a nationwide rating of 4.1%.
Music programming also lifted KBS ratings over the holiday. "Your Life Is a Never-Ending Story — Lee Seung-chul," a Chuseok special aired on KBS 2TV on the first day of the holiday, ranked first in its time slot with 4.4% for its second hour and 4.2% for its third, even against a national soccer team friendly. The peak minute-by-minute rating reached 6.1%.
The concert, marking the 40th anniversary of Lee's debut, was staged in Incheon before an audience of about 12,000. The production used a 7-meter aerial lift, a moving stage, some 200 speakers and a 30-piece string band. Actor Park Bo-gum appeared as a surprise guest, playing piano and singing "I Love You So Much" with Lee. The 150-minute broadcast featured 26 live songs and performances.
With both the Asian Games broadcasts and the concert ranking high, KBS succeeded in drawing viewers across two different genres over the holiday. Carrying major events in several sports exclusively also demonstrated its competitiveness as a sports broadcaster, industry observers said.
"In line with our slogan, 'The moment we come together again, the Asian Games are also on KBS,' we will continue to convey the atmosphere and excitement of the competition for the rest of the Games," a KBS official said. "We will meet viewers' expectations with content that spans all generations."
