HYBE Expands Efforts to Enter Indian Market, Marking New Phase in K-Pop’s Global Expansion

Korean entertainment company HYBE is reportedly advancing plans to enter the Indian market. The company’s global ambitions, which have previously expanded into Japan, the United States, and Latin America over the past few years, are now shifting toward emerging markets. In a letter sent to shareholders last summer, HYBE mentioned its plans to penetrate emerging markets. Describing its HYBE 2.0 strategy, the company stated, “To further strengthen HYBE’s identity as an IP-based content company, we are working to enhance our content production capabilities, identify new fan bases, and proactively enter emerging markets.” According to Yonhap News, a South Korean news agency, HYBE plans to establish an office in Mumbai, India. A HYBE spokesperson explained, “We are not currently at a specific planning stage for setting up a regional office, but we conduct regular market research across various countries and regions around the world.” HYBE’s plans to expand into India align with active merger and acquisition activities in that region. Recently, Warner Music invested in a minority stake in the live entertainment and ticketing platform SkillBox and acquired the artist management and live event company E-Positive. Additionally, Universal Music India increased its stake in the Indian music and entertainment company TM Ventures, while Sony Music acquired India’s major catalog from Eros. HYBE is likely to adopt a strategy similar to those used in the United States and Latin America. In 2023, HYBE entered the Latin music market by acquiring Exile Music, a subsidiary label of the Spanish-language entertainment studio Exile Content. It has since expanded its presence by launching “Pase a la Fama” in collaboration with the Spanish television network Telemundo. Meanwhile, K-Pop’s global reach continues to expand. HYBE’s U.S.-based multinational girl group KATSEYE reached position 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Friday, becoming the first non-Korean-based K-Pop group to achieve this feat. Released on May 17, “Gnarly” leans heavily toward the hyperpop genre and significantly reduces traditional K-Pop elements, indicating that the genre’s global expansion has entered a new phase. American producer Paul Bryan Thompson, who joined JYP Entertainment in 2013 and remained in the Korean music industry to compose tracks for various artists under SM Entertainment, said, “Over the past 10 years, I have continuously studied the differences between what resonates with Korean audiences and what is preferred by overseas K-Pop fans.” As K-Pop’s “Korean identity” gradually weakens, the genre is spreading throughout the global music industry. In Japan, local groups that have adopted K-Pop methodologies have become mainstream. From the United States to Southeast Asia, Korean-style production systems are increasingly being localized.