KCON LA 2025 won’t be available to stream on YouTube this year. Instead, the entire festival is heading to Amazon. CJ ENM has officially partnered with Amazon Music to stream the event exclusively on Prime Video and Twitch, shutting out YouTube for the first time in years.
Why isn’t KCON LA streaming on YouTube this year?
It’s part of a broader strategy. CJ ENM has been expanding their global reach and sees Amazon as a key player in that push. With over 200 million Prime subscribers worldwide and multilingual support, Amazon offers massive distribution potential. They’ve also struck a multi-year agreement to host CJ ENM’s original dramas on Prime Video.
The partnership might make sense on paper but what about the fans who’ve turned to YouTube for years? For them, it feels more like a door closing than anything else.
Why this move feels out of touch with fans
Music festivals are expensive. Flights, hotels, tickets, merch, it adds up fast. That’s why livestreaming KCON on YouTube has been such a big deal in the past. You could stream certain booths and artist stages for free while the main event, the M Countdown stages, could be purchased via a membership package. It gave people a taste of the fun with a more affordable price tag.
Last year, I didn’t go in person, but I had a blast watching the stream from home. I danced in my living room, cheered for my faves, and even found some new groups to add my playlist. It’s a kind of magic you don’t want to gatekeep.
Why some fans are not happy with the Amazon partnership
Some fans are boycotting Amazon due to their labor practices and market dominance. Others just can’t afford a Prime subscription. Every extra dollar counts and many feel like that money should go towards gas in the cars and rent/mortgage payments.
Even though Twitch is technically free to use, some people struggle to watch streams on there and not everyone can afford to upgrade their device.
Global expansion vs. global access
When fans feel excluded, they remember. This move risks sending the message that CJ ENM cares more about exclusive deals than the people who built KCON’s reputation in the first place.
YouTube streams, even the paywalled ones, gave fans the power to choose how and when to engage. You could watch the full thing or just catch a few stages. You could rewatch moments or discover new artists without the pressure of buying in. That kind of flexibility builds trust and community. Amazon’s all-or-nothing approach doesn’t offer that.
Worse, fans who feel pushed out will look for unofficial streams or pirated content just to stay connected. That doesn’t benefit CJ ENM, Amazon, and definitely not the artists.
CJ ENM’s goals aren’t inherently wrong. They want to grow. They want to bring Korean content to wider audiences. That’s valid but growth shouldn’t come at the cost of accessibility.
You don’t build a global fanbase by putting up more walls. You build it by meeting fans where they are. Whether you were watching from LA, Brazil, or rural Europe, you could log on and be part of something huge.
Shifting to Amazon makes that harder. It sends a signal whether it’s intentional or not, that KCON isn’t for everyone anymore. If CJ ENM wants to go global, they shouldn’t forget what made KCON beloved in the first place: inclusivity. Not just who gets to stand on stage but who gets to watch.
