HYBE Exceeds 1 Trillion Won in Quarterly Revenue for First Time in Q2, Driven by BTS’s Comeback

Entertainment company HYBE recorded its highest-ever quarterly performance in the second quarter of this year. According to the preliminary financial results disclosed on July 28, HYBE’s operating profit for Q2 reached 170.9 billion won, a 159.3% increase from the same period last year, while revenue climbed to 1.45 trillion won, marking a 105.5% rise. Net profit also surged to 109.8 billion won, an increase of 613%.

This represents a historic achievement. HYBE stated that “this is the first time quarterly revenue has surpassed 1 trillion won, and operating profit has also exceeded 100 billion won for the first time.” The operating profit margin reached 11.8%, indicating not only quantitative growth but also improved profitability. Thanks to these Q2 results, the company’s cumulative revenue for the first half of the year surpassed 2 trillion won for the first time in its history.

The key behind this success was the outstanding performance of HYBE’s flagship group BTS. After releasing their fifth studio album *ARIRANG* in March, BTS began a world tour with the same name in April. *ARIRANG* topped sales charts for CDs and LPs in the United States, and the 86-show world tour across 34 cities worldwide is the largest in K-pop history.

Looking at performance by segment, “direct participation revenue,” which includes album and music sales as well as concert income, amounted to 1.399 trillion won, a 132.2% increase from the same period last year. Among this, concert revenue led the growth with a sharp rise of 243.3% to 647.7 billion won. Album and music sales increased by 43% to 326.8 billion won, while advertising and appearance-related revenue rose by 113.6% to 65.4 billion won. “Indirect participation revenue,” including merchandise and fan club activities, grew by 59.1% to 410.1 billion won. In particular, the MD and licensing segment reached a record high of 310.6 billion won, driven by strong concert performance.

Beyond BTS, other HYBE artists also contributed to strong first-half results. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN, BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, CORTIS, and ILLIT released albums one after another during the first half of the year, all of which achieved million-seller status. Half of the top 10 best-selling CD albums in the United States were by HYBE artists. Rising star CORTIS, thanks to the success of *REDRED*, has sold over 5.25 million copies across two mini-albums since its debut.

The Korean-American girl group KATSEYE also delivered notable results. After winning three awards at the “2026 American Music Awards,” KATSEYE released the collaboration track “ICONIC BY MISTAKE” with LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks.

The expansion of concerts also benefited related businesses. The 12 artists under HYBE held 119 concerts in the first half of the year, with over 200 concerts planned for the second half. This far exceeds last year’s figure of 10 groups holding 279 concerts. HYBE expects increased MD sales due to more concerts, as well as stronger performance in the MD and licensing segment related to the offline event “The City Project.”

The fan platform Weverse also showed strong growth momentum. The average monthly active users (MAU) in Q2 reached 14.43 million, setting a new record and continuing from the high figure in Q1. Total payment amounts increased by 12% compared to the previous quarter, while the average revenue per paid user (ARPPU) rose by 24%. HYBE analyzed that artists’ activities have created a positive cycle that leads to more visits to Weverse, longer session times, membership subscriptions, and purchases of paid content.

HYBE’s CEO, Lee Jae-sang, said, “In Q2 this year, HYBE proved through its financial results that it is a company capable of redefining the global entertainment market and serving as a core export infrastructure for South Korea’s cultural industry. We will continue to pursue expansion and growth strategies going forward.”