Melany M. November 20, 2018
American telecommunications conglomerate Comcast is in negotiations to acquire an LCK organization.
According to a report by Invenglobal, Comcast held multiple meetings with LCK officials, players, and coaches in October. The conglomerate is looking to seal a deal before November when the transfer market opens in the LCK. Many of Korea’s best and brightest stars in League of Legends are set to enter free agency heading into the new year.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the LCK is attracting foreign capital. Teams like Gen.G and Kingzone DragonX are already owned by companies outside of South Korea. Thanks to those investments, the organizations were capable of reinventing themselves and securing star players. For the investing companies, it is a cheaper endeavor to get involved in the LCK than to acquire a franchise slot in North America’s LCS or Europe’s LEC.
Comcast’s interest in the LCK seems to have been well received by Korean officials. Despite being one of the most competitive League of Legends tournaments in the world, the LCK hasn’t traditionally received the same level of financial investment that have some other leagues.
As a result, top professional players often choose to pursue careers outside of South Korea where salaries are more attractive. Comcast’s involvement with the LCK could mean a major improvement for the league from a financial point of view.
The report didn’t reveal exactly which organization caught Comcast’s attention. Heading to the 2019 spring season, the LCK is in desperate need of a change. The Korean teams failed to make it to the World Championship finals for the first time in five years, falling short of even the semifinals as Afreeca Freecs and KT Rolster were eliminated by Cloud9 and Invictus Gaming, respectively.