Esports data provider GRID has partnered with Korean tech firm Naver to integrate official real-time match data across CHZZK, the company’s live streaming platform. 

Beginning with the LCK regular season on April 1st, CHZZK will introduce official real-time statistics into its League of Legends esports broadcasts.

After Twitch announced ended operations in South Korea, Naver launched CHZZK in April 2024. League of Legends attracts a large audience in the country with approximately 25 million players nationwide.

“Through our partnership with GRID, we are enhancing the viewing experience with official real-time match data that helps fans engage more deeply with League of Legends esports,” said Kun Bum Joo, Vice President of Naver, in a press release. “By combining trusted data with community-driven interaction, CHZZK is delivering a more intuitive, immersive, and differentiated experience for esports audiences in Korea.”

South Korean had the highest representation at the 2025 LoL World Championship,  with 44 players competing, more than any other country.

GRID Expanding Esports Globally

The partnership will initially launch across LCK, MSI, and the League of Legends World Championship, with plans to expand to additional major global leagues over time.

GRID has established itself as the primary gatekeeper of esports data and has been rapidly expanding its partners. 

In addition to partnering with streaming platforms such as CHZZK, it has done deals with betting companies and prediction market platforms. 

The company signed a deal with Forkast in February. Forkast is an esports-focused prediction market operator, which is targeting the Latin American market for growth. 

In announcing the partnership with Naver, Dominika Szot, VP of Growth at GRID, said,

“We are proud to partner with NAVER to bring official, real-time League of Legends esports data into one of Korea’s most important consumer technology ecosystems. 

“Together, we are enabling richer fan experiences across both broadcast and search, making live esports more accessible, interactive, and engaging.”

Korea Clamping Down On Esports Gambling

In other jurisdictions, GRID supplies its esports data to aid live betting on events. The company expanded its GRID Bet division last year, with the aim of using its data to provide “a successful and engaging esports betting product.”

In Korea, however, esports betting is officially prohibited, despite widespread popularity. Korean bettors frequently use offshore platforms to gamble online. 

Amid a spread of gamers gambling, the country has launched campaigns to tackle illegal betting. Police shut down an illegal gambling operation that targeted minors in gaming cafes last year. 

As well as enforcing stricter penalties on operators, police launched an amnesty period, telling young residents they could turn themselves in and receive lighter punishments or cautions for their crimes. 

In addition to lenient sentencing, police said young people struggling with online gambling addiction will also be offered “treatment that focuses on recovery and guidance.”

The increased use of official data and realtime stats may have the unintended consequences of encouraging more fans to seek out opportunities to use that data to place bets.