SBS proved its unrivaled sports broadcasting power by sweeping the No. 1 spot in ratings among the three major terrestrial broadcasters for the swimming finals and the women's volleyball South Korea-Japan semifinal at the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games.
According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research company, on September 22, the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final broadcast by SBS the previous day took first place in its time slot with ratings of 2.5% for metropolitan and nationwide households, and 1.0% for the 2049 demographic. The women's volleyball match between South Korea and Japan also claimed the top spot among terrestrial broadcasters with a metropolitan household rating of 3.3% (1.8% for metropolitan 2049), comfortably outpacing MBC (2.6%) and KBS (2.5%).
The standout performance of "monster rookie" Kim Young-beom shone brightly in the swimming arena that day. Kim captured the gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle final by setting a new Asian Games record of 21.66 seconds. This proved that the prediction made before the race by commentator Park Tae-hwan—"If he races with the same confidence he showed in the preliminaries, it is entirely possible"—hit the mark. South Korean swimming swept five medals in a single day, adding defending champion Ji Yu-chan's bronze, Kim Seung-won's historic first-ever medal in the women's 50m backstroke, Yoon Ji-hwan's medal, and the men's relay team's bronze.
In the women's volleyball match against Japan, broadcaster Lee Jae-hyung and commentator Han Song-yi shined with their calm and insightful commentary. Even in a situation where defeat seemed likely, commentator Han added to the emotional resonance by encouraging the players, saying, "We must never give up. The tournament is not over yet."
Having swept the ratings for major events, SBS will continue its live broadcasting fever with a rich lineup today (September 22). Starting with the women's volleyball bronze medal match (South Korea vs. Thailand) at 4:00 PM, followed by the men's baseball group stage (South Korea vs. Hong Kong) at 6:30 PM, and the men's football group stage (South Korea vs. Saudi Arabia) at 7:00 PM, SBS plans to vividly deliver the action to living rooms.
(Photo: SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.