KBO Posts Record Revenue In '12 With $60.4M In Ticket Sales, $7.6M From Sponsorships

A report from the Korea Baseball Organization, South Korea's top professional baseball league, revealed that it "posted its largest ever amount of revenue" in '12, according to YONHAP. The Korea Baseball Organization Properties, the marketing wing of the KBO, said that the league earned 35B won ($32.9M) "in baseball-related businesses" in '12, surpassing the previous record of 34B won set in '11. The eight KBO clubs drew about 7.15 million fans last year, the first time that the KBO's attendance reached more than 7 million since the league's inception in '82. The KBOP revealed that the league earned a record 63.4B won ($60.4M) in ticket sales in '12, up from 55.1B won in '11. The league's TV contract with local broadcasters accounted for 25B won ($23.6M), while corporate sponsorships brought in 8B won ($7.6M). The league also made 2B won ($1.9M) from merchandise sales (YONHAP, 1/9).