K-Pop Rises as a Key Material for Global Streaming Platforms like Netflix and Apple TV+

K-Pop is moving beyond the boundaries of the music industry to become a core intellectual property asset in global video content. Global streaming services such as Netflix and Apple TV+, along with Hollywood, are continuously producing animations, movies, dramas, documentaries, and competition shows based on K-Pop. The most notable project is Netflix’s animation “KPop Demon Hunters,” which will be released in 190 countries on June 20. Produced in collaboration between Hollywood’s major studio Sony Pictures, responsible for the Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and South Korean studio Mir, this work depicts a fantasy world where members of the globally popular K-Pop girl group BLACKSWAN act as idols during the day and as demon hunters at night. TWICE’s Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung contributed to the original soundtrack, while Chungmuro stars such as Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Byung-hun, and Kim Yoon-jin provided voice performances. “Secret Idol” is a spy-action thriller about a spy who infiltrates an international criminal organization by disguising herself as a K-Pop trainee. It features collaboration between Artist Studio, led by “Squid Game”’s Lee Jung-jae, and ImagineNation, the production company of Andy Serkis, aiming to portray the competition and pressure hidden behind the dazzling K-Pop market. “K-Pops,” the directorial debut of singer-songwriter Anderson Paak, is a family comedy about an American father who accidentally becomes a member of a Korean K-Pop group. Idols such as G-Dragon make cameo appearances, delivering a lighthearted take on Korea’s music industry and family dynamics. Hollywood actors are also directly involved in creating K-Pop content. Rebel Wilson, known for Netflix’s movie “Romance,” is working on her first directing project, “Seoul Girls.” This film follows a Korean-American high school girl who participates in a competition to select an opening act for a K-Pop boy group, with scripts written by “Billions”’ Kim Young-il. Actor Will Yun Lee is involved in producing a drama based on the romance novel “My Summer in Seoul,” centered around a Korean-American heroine who works at a Korean record label and builds relationships of love and friendship with K-Pop group members. Canada’s public broadcaster CBC’s teen drama “Gangnam Project” offers an external perspective on the K-Pop system and global fandom culture by following a Korean-Canadian girl as she trains as a trainee at an agency in Seoul. Apple TV+ released the documentary “Welcome to K-Pop: The Idol Story,” which explores the ups and downs of the K-Pop industry’s explosive growth over the past 10 years. It documents the training processes and fierce competition within groups such as rapper Jessie, BLACKSWAN, and CRAVITY. The platform’s global music competition show “K-Popd,” featuring Jessi, BLACKSWAN, and CRAVITY, is co-produced by CJ ENM and Eureka Productions. Imee Kim, vice chairman of CJ Group, Lionel Richie, Jessi, and film producer Greg Foster serve as executive producers. Behind the surge in K-Pop-themed content creation is the explosive growth of global K-Pop fandoms. According to the Korea Foundation (KF), the number of Hallyu fans worldwide was approximately 178 million in 2022, more than 19 times higher than 9.26 million in 2012, and it reached around 225 million last year. The global K-Pop event market is projected to grow from $8.1 billion in 2021 to $20 billion by 2031, at an average annual growth rate of 7.3%, based on estimates from entertainment analytics firm Luminate. As of 2024, the total number of global streams for the top 100 K-Pop artists was approximately 9.04 billion, a 42.2% increase from the previous year. K-Pop is spreading rapidly through global digital platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and TikTok, and this trend is further accelerated by collaborations between major Korean agencies like CJ ENM, HYBE, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment with global OTT services. Loyal global fandoms are turning K-Pop into an attractive investment opportunity.