Shares of the agency that owns BTS fell after unexpectedly low attendance at the bandʼs concert

Shares of music agency “Hybe”, which includes BTS, fell 15.5% after unexpectedly low attendance at the bandʼs concert.

The BBC writes about this.

On March 21, BTS performed together for the first time since 2022, when they took a break to complete their military service, at a free concert in Seoul. It was attended by approximately 104 000 fans out of an expected 250 000.

The concert, which marked the start of the bandʼs 82-date world tour, was streamed live on “Netflix” in over 190 countries. Along with strict crowd control measures, this may have affected attendance.

Meanwhile, “Big Hit Music” (the label run by “Hybe”) reported that the groupʼs new album "Arirang" sold 3.98 million copies on its first day of release.

BTS is the main source of income for “Hybe”, whose operating profit has fallen sharply during the groupʼs long hiatus.

• Meanwhile, K-popʼs global popularity has grown since BTSʼ last tour, which ended in 2019. The group now faces stiff competition for fansʼ attention from both real-life rivals like “Blackpink”, “Seventeen”, and “Stray Kids”, as well as fictional ones like the "K-pop Demon Hunters".
• “Netflix” is reportedly planning a world tour based on the K-pop animated series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”. The tour could take place next year to help promote the sequel to the hit film.

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