With the spring breeze, a ‘wind’ is blowing again in sports entertainment programs.

Sports entertainment programs, which had only one or two until last year, are attracting attention one after another as the season for enjoying outdoor sports returns.

JTBC‘s ‘Let’s Eat Dinner Together’, which caused a ‘boom’ in soccer entertainment, has been revamped. Season 4, which will be aired for the first time on the 6th, will feature a ‘Fantasy League’ with a full mobilization of stars who love soccer.

‘Fantasy League’ is an 11 vs. 11 full squad league in which celebrities who love soccer, such as idols, actors, sports stars, and influencers, participate. Since 4 teams actually compete in the league, it foreshadows a scale on a different level from the existing series.

Ahn Jung-hwan, who led the previous season, and this time, former coach Park Hang-seo, Kim Nam-il, and Lee Dong-gook, who are the ‘Vietnamese heroes’, will lead their respective teams in a showdown to put their pride on the line. In particular, they are all key players in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup semi-finals myth, which is drawing attention.

The production team expressed their ambition, saying, “We will combine the game and entertainment elements to make the soccer league more fun” and “We will ignite soccer fever ahead of the 2026 World Cup.”KBS 2TV‘s ‘Buluntier’, which aired as a pilot program during the Lunar New Year holidays, will also return as a regular broadcast.

‘Buluntier’, which will air for the first time on the 5th, is a soccer entertainment program that features a futsal match between legendary Korean soccer players and an amateur club, and has garnered attention for singer Lee Chan-won’s unique soccer commentary.

This time, Lee Chan-won will appear as a commentator, and soccer stars Hyun Young-min, Kim Young-kwang, Jo Won-hee, Jung Dae-se, Baek Ji-hoon, Jeon Ga-eul, and Kim Dong-chul will all be appearing. Lee Young-pyo will be the director.

Also waiting for MBN‘s ‘Run to Live’, which features a marathon as its theme.

‘Run to Live’, which will premiere on the 19th, contains the process of stars from various fields challenging their first marathon with their own earnest stories and overcoming their wounds and limitations.

Sean, who is considered a leading marathon runner in the entertainment industry, will be the central figure, along with Lee Young-pyo, Bae Sung-jae, Yang Se-hyung, Heo Jae, Yang Jun-hyeok, star chef Jung Ho-young, choreographer Bae Yoon-jung, and singer Sleepy, a total of 16 people will be challenging the marathon.

The production team said, “It will contain the growth story of beginner runners who challenged the marathon with earnest desire,” and “The process of them overcoming their wounds and limitations through the marathon will also bring deep empathy and lingering feelings to viewers.”



Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.