[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] Kakao announced on the 4th that it will hold an 'online cheering room' event to mark the opening of the professional baseball season without spectators.
The 2020 Korean professional baseball season, which opens on the 5th, will start without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Kakao is running the 'Wise Baseball Life' campaign, allowing fans of each team to enjoy cheering together as if they were at the stadium by using KakaoTalk's Pro Baseball Bot and Open Chat.
On KakaoTalk, users can search for the 'Pro Baseball Bot' channel, add it as a friend, then select their favorite team and nickname in the chatroom, and turn ON 'Live Broadcast Start' in the notification settings menu. This way, they will automatically receive a KakaoTalk message with a 'Watch Together' link to join the cheering room whenever their team's game begins.
This online cheering room fixes the live broadcast screen from KakaoTV at the top, while at the bottom, users can enjoy cheering and chatting with others watching the same game through text and emoticons via Open Chat.
The cheering room operates only from the start to the end of the game. According to Kakao, a test conducted on the 21st of last month during a practice game between Doosan and LG showed about 2,000 participants exchanged 340,000 messages.
Kakao will also hold two on- and offline cheering events in partnership with the professional baseball team Hanwha Eagles on the 5th and 12th. Through KakaoTV, when the Hanwha Eagles are on offense, fans can sing cheering songs together with the cheering captain and cheerleaders on screen, just like at the stadium. During defense, fans can enjoy various interactive contents such as learning cheering songs, prize draws, and phone interviews with players.
Fans can upload videos of themselves cheering from home to the 'Hanwha Eagles Talk Channel' on KakaoTalk, and these videos will be displayed on the scoreboard at Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park during inning changes. On the 'Talk Store' linked to the Hanwha Eagles channel, fans can purchase team merchandise such as uniforms, hats, and commemorative balls contactlessly.
With the LG Twins, an online event will be held on the 5th via KakaoTV, featuring cheering on the cheering stand during offense, greetings from the cheering squad and introduction of new facilities inside the stadium during defense, and presentations of the 30th anniversary emblem and catchphrase.
A Kakao official said, "Along with professional baseball broadcasts through Daum Sports and KakaoTalk's #Sports, we want to celebrate the KBO League opening with online cheering using the Pro Baseball Bot and Open Chat," adding, "We hope that the wise baseball life shared on KakaoTalk will help establish a mature online cheering culture."
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