HYBE Achieves Record-Breaking First Quarter with Nearly 7 Trillion Won in Revenue During Off-Season

*This content was translated by AI.

HYBE posted its largest-ever first-quarter results, with revenue approaching 7 trillion won, during the traditional off-season of the entertainment industry. This record-breaking performance was driven by the comeback effect of BTS and the rapid growth of rookie artists.

HYBE's consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2026 reached 698.3 billion won, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, which was the previous record high of 500.6 billion won.

Direct participation revenue (including album sales, concerts, advertising, etc.) grew 25% year-on-year to 403.7 billion won. In particular, album sales revenue surged 99% year-on-year to 271.5 billion won. This figure is comparable to the record-breaking scale of the fourth quarter of 2023 (276.2 billion won), when monumental achievements were recorded, including SEVENTEEN's 11th mini-album 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN' topping the K-pop first-week sales chart and Jungkook's album 'GOLDEN' reaching the top spot for solo artists in first-week sales history.

At the center of the strong album sales was BTS's fifth full-length album 'ARIRANG'. 'ARIRANG' sold 3.98 million copies on its first day of release alone. According to Luminate, a global music data analysis firm, the 'ARIRANG' LP album also sold 208,000 copies in a week, marking the highest weekly sales volume for a group since records began in 1991. 'ARIRANG' became the first album by a Korean artist to top the Billboard 200, the main Billboard album chart, for three consecutive weeks. The title track 'SWIM' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the main Billboard song chart, and all 13 tracks on the album charted.

ENHYPEN achieved its fourth cumulative double million-seller status with its seventh mini-album 'THE SIN : VANISH'. The performances of rookie artists also stood out. KATSEYE recently surpassed 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the highest figure among all girl groups worldwide. Driven by new fanbase inflows, album sales followed suit. The cumulative sales of KATSEYE's first EP 'SIS (Soft Is Strong)', released in August 2024, and their second EP 'BEAUTIFUL CHAOS', unveiled in June 2025, reached a combined total of 1 million copies. Cortis's debut album 'COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES' also continued to be steadily loved even after its initial sales period, setting a new record for K-pop group debut album sales. Released in September last year, the album recorded initial sales of approximately 440,000 copies, surpassed 1 million copies in November of the same year, and as of February this year, achieved cumulative sales of 2 million copies.

Indirect participation revenue (including merchandise, licensing, content, fan clubs, etc.) reached 294.7 billion won, a 66% increase year-on-year. Revenue from merchandise and licensing, as well as fan club segments, grew 29% and 69% respectively compared to the previous year. The merchandise and licensing segment benefited from strong performance of tour-related products, including BTS light sticks, and character merchandise based on HYBE Music Group artists. Fan club revenue showed a steep upward trend, driven by pre-sale demand for BTS's world tour concerts.

Weverse, the global superfan platform that successfully turned profitable last year, also recorded its highest level of active user metrics and profitability growth since its service launch this year. The average monthly active users for the first quarter grew 20% quarter-on-quarter to 13.37 million, setting a new all-time high.

HYBE's adjusted operating profit, reflecting the company's actual business performance for the first quarter of this year, was 58.5 billion won. The operating profit margin based on adjusted operating profit was calculated at 8.4%. However, the pre-adjusted operating profit appeared as a loss because 255 billion won, which the major shareholder contributed as stock gifts to fund employee performance bonuses, was recognized as an expense for accounting purposes. This cost is a one-time expense that must be recognized under accounting standards despite no outflow of the company's net assets.

Starting from the second quarter, it is expected that both revenue and profits will see further growth as multiple HYBE Music Group artists, including Tomorrow X Together, LE SSERAFIM, TWS, ILLIT, and Cortis, resume activities alongside album releases, and results from the BTS world tour are reflected.

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*This content was translated by AI.