JTBC has asked a Seoul court to suspend its copyright lawsuit against the producers of the baseball variety show “Fireworks Baseball,” Star News reported exclusively on Friday, in a move that appears tied to the broadcaster’s deepening debt default crisis.
According to Star News, JTBC recently asked the 61st Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court to halt its copyright infringement suit against producer Jang Si-won and Studio C1. The court deferred the next hearing date after hearing Studio C1’s side. Three hearings had been held since February, and with a fourth scheduled for October 13, the trial is now effectively on hold.
Star News noted the pause appears far from unrelated to JTBC’s recent debt default situation, though the broadcaster is still believed to have no intention of abandoning the case and could resume it later.
JTBC sued Jang and Studio C1 in March 2025, then sought an injunction that June to stop the show’s production, sale and distribution; court-recommended mediation collapsed. In December 2025, the court partially granted the injunction, ruling that producing and transmitting “Fireworks Baseball” as effectively the follow-up season to “Strongest Baseball” constituted unfair competition under Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
“Strongest Baseball” premiered in June 2022 as a reality sports variety show in which retired professional players formed a team to take on baseball again, building a loyal fan base. The split came when Studio C1, the outside production company behind the show, parted ways with JTBC and launched “Fireworks Baseball” with the original cast, including Lee Dae-ho, Park Yong-taik and Jung Keun-woo.
The conflict had been brewing since early 2025. JTBC claimed Studio C1 overcharged production costs and refused to disclose financial records, while Studio C1 argued overcharging was structurally impossible. JTBC also filed criminal complaints over alleged Copyright Act and Trademark Act violations. Studio C1 deleted the show’s episodes from YouTube after the injunction but vowed to push ahead with a second season, calling the ruling provisional; JTBC warned of immediate legal action if a new season appears.
With the trial paused and JTBC having separately ended its own revamped season in February, the baseball variety war enters an uneasy truce. But with JTBC keeping the door open to resume the case and Studio C1 still pushing for a second season, the next move may come from whichever side blinks first.
