Korean Giant & BTS Backer Hybe Corp Has Its Eye On The U.S.

deadline.com:

In a bold reaction to market trends, Korean entertainment powerhouse HYBE Corporation — best known as the home of K-Pop superstars BTS — is more bullish than ever, expanding out of its core record label, talent management and concert production business into several other areas, and now bills itself as a global entertainment lifestyle platform.

The company’s innovative strength has been in reimagining its artists — which also include Tomorrow X Together, ENHYPEN, Lee Hyun and Nana — as intellectual property that can be monetized across a range of platforms, including social media, live streaming, gaming, education, webtoons, and film and TV content.

Its activities span fan-driven social media and e-commerce platform Weverse Company, which recently took over Naver Corp’s live-streaming app V Live; a tie-up with cloud-streaming platform Kiswe for a virtual BTS tour; and a deal with Disney that sees the company’s docs and reality shows, such as BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star and In the Soop: Friendcation, distributed on Disney+ worldwide.

In 2021, HYBE merged with a similarly tech-minded music giant — Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings — in a $1 billion deal that places BTS in the same stable as heavyweights Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.