'Fire Baseball', which had its videos deleted due to copyright claims from JTBC every time they were released on YouTube, has found a new breakthrough. The solution is the establishment of an independent platform.
On the 23rd, Studio C1 announced, "A new home for 'Fire Baseball' has been created," revealing the launch of its independent platform 'Studio C1'. 'Fire Baseball' has left YouTube and opened its own website.
Due to JTBC's ongoing copyright infringement claims, videos released on YouTube have been repeatedly deleted. Fans have expressed their dissatisfaction, and it seems that 'Fire Baseball' has come up with an independent solution.
The official Studio C1 platform offers replays of all episodes from 1 to 7. Currently, users can freely watch the videos without signing up or logging in. In the future, new episodes will be premiered on the YouTube channel every Monday at 8 PM, and replays will be available on the official platform starting from 9 AM on the following Friday.
The production team stated, "Although not all systems are perfectly set up yet, we hurriedly opened the platform in hopes that fans can enjoy past episodes of 'Fire Baseball' comfortably as soon as possible," adding, "We plan to update various features such as live chat, community, and donations over the next two months."
'Fire Baseball' is a baseball entertainment program presented by PD Jang Si-won, who directed JTBC's popular entertainment show 'Strong Baseball'. The production company Studio C1, which produced 'Strong Baseball' from Season 1 to Season 3, is currently in conflict with JTBC.
JTBC has filed a criminal complaint against Studio C1 and PD Jang Si-won for alleged infringement of the 'Strong Baseball' IP (intellectual property rights), violations of copyright and trademark laws, breach of trust, destruction of electronic records, and obstruction of business. Studio C1 has denied the allegations, claiming it is an attempt by JTBC to seize their intellectual property.
After the conflict with JTBC, Studio C1 renamed 'Strong Baseball' Season 4 to 'Fire Baseball' and embarked on an independent journey. There were talks of looking for a new broadcasting company, but ultimately, the program started on YouTube. However, even this faced increasing dissatisfaction from fans as videos were deleted every time they were uploaded due to JTBC's copyright claims.
Despite these adverse conditions and controversies, 'Fire Baseball' is sailing smoothly. Even after transitioning from TV broadcasting to YouTube web entertainment, viewer support continues. The first episode recorded 130,000 simultaneous viewers, while the second episode reached 234,000 simultaneous viewers. The third episode surpassed 2.45 million views just two days after its release. As of 5 PM on the 23rd, the fifth episode remaining on YouTube has recorded 2.52 million views, and the sixth episode has 2.65 million views.
Interest in live attendance has also surged. The first live event saw about 110,000 people trying to purchase tickets, selling out in just five minutes. For the second live event ticketing held on the 22nd, 136,000 people flocked as soon as reservations began, selling out in just seven minutes.
The second live match was held at Gocheok Sky Dome, where the Fire Fighters faced Inha University. Notably, it was broadcast live for the first time through SBS Plus, drawing significant attention. The broadcast recorded a peak target rating (ages 20-49) of 1.2% and a household rating of 1.5%, with a nationwide peak viewership of 306,000.
As 'Fire Baseball' continues to thrive amidst its dispute with JTBC, all eyes are on what kind of activities it will showcase with the support of its fans in the future.
