The Korean professional volleyball V-League recovers ‘500,000 spectators’ and is realizing its popularity before Corona 19. But the circumstances behind it are complicated. The number of spectators in the men’s division has decreased significantly by 34% compared to before Corona 19, and the women’s division has increased by 40% over the same period, but this is largely due to the optical illusion caused by the influence of Kim Yeon-kyung, whose retirement is just around the corner.
According to the viewer ratings and audience data for the 2022-2023 season released by the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) on the 13th, the total number of spectators this season in the regular league and postseason is 561,445. KOVO said, “As 100% of the spectators were able to enter, it recovered to the level of the 2018-2019 season (575,746 people), the season just before the Corona 19 epidemic.” The average viewer rating recorded a combined 0.92%, down 0.04% from the previous season.바카라
The ‘Kim Yeon-kyung effect’ had an absolute impact on the recovery of the V-League crowd. While the men’s division only recorded 214,178, a decrease of 34% compared to the 2018-2019 season before Corona 19, the women’s division increased significantly by 38.3% over the same period to 347,267.
Among them, a total of 169,669 people (21 home games, 99,405 people + 20 away games, 70,264 people) flocked to Heungkuk Life Insurance matches (36 regular league games + 5 championship games) to which Kim Yeon-kyung belongs. About 49% of the female spectators and 30% of the male and female spectators flocked to Kim Yeon-kyung’s match. In the 2018-2019 season without Kim Yeon-kyung, Heungkuk Life Insurance achieved a combined victory and mobilized an average of 2633 spectators (34 games, 89,538 people), which is more than 1,500 fewer than the average of 4138 this season.
In terms of ratings, Kim Yeon-kyung’s influence was remarkable. The average viewer rating for the women’s division was 1.23%, the second highest among all V-League average viewership ratings, and the 2020-2021 season (1.29%), the highest ever, is also the season when Kim Yeon-kyung returned to the V-League for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In particular, the ratings for the 5th game of the women’s championship match between Heungkuk Life Insurance and Korea Expressway Corporation this season recorded 3.4%, breaking the all-time high viewership rating.
The men’s division continues to decline due to the absence of star players and weakening international competitiveness. The viewership rating for rounds 1 to 6 was 0.57%, less than half of the women’s division (1.16%). Compared to last season, it fell by 0.16 percentage points.
It is comforting that the postseason average viewership rebounded to 1.5%, but this is also a pitiful figure compared to the women’s division (2.29%). The average number of spectators for the season was 1,610 for the men’s division, which was more than 1,000 fewer than the women’s (2,611).
Women can’t help but laugh. Kim Yeon-kyung got out of the crisis by delaying her retirement, but Kim Yeon-kyung’s career as a player is two to three years at the most. Some of the legacy of the ‘Tokyo semifinal myth’ remains, but the national team is also struggling in international competitions after Kim Yeon-kyung’s retirement.