HYBE posts record quarterly revenue on BTS comeback, concert boom

K-pop powerhouse HYBE posted consensus-beating record quarterly revenue for the April–June period, driven by strong performances from its artists, particularly the long-awaited return of prized boy band BTS.

The K-pop agency’s second quarter revenue came in at 1.45 trillion won ($993 million), up 105.5 percent from a year earlier, according to HYBE on Tuesday. Its second quarter operating profit hit 170.9 billion won, up 159.3 percent on year.

Both figures marked record highs for the company and also surpassed market expectations compiled by market tracker FnGuide.

“The results mark HYBE's first quarterly revenue exceeding 1 trillion won, while quarterly operating profit also topped 100 billion won for the first time,” the agency said in a press release.

Net profit surged 613 percent from a year earlier to 109.8 billion won.

The strong second quarter results also pushed HYBE's first-half revenue above 2 trillion won for the first time.

Revenue from concerts reached 647.7 billion won, while album sales totaled 326.8 billion won. Revenue from merchandise and licensing also climbed in tandem with its concert business, reaching 310.6 billion won — its highest mark ever.

Despite more than doubling its revenue from a year earlier, HYBE maintained a double-digit operating margin of 11.8 percent.

BTS was the main driver of HYBE’s second quarter performance, the company said. The band returned in March with its fifth full-length album “Arirang” after nearly four years due to the members completing their mandatory military service.

“Arirang” topped U.S. sales of both vinyl records and CDs, according to global music data analytics firm Luminate, which helped revive the physical album market, HYBE said. The album also led Korea to become the world's third-largest music exporter, following the United States and Britain.

BTS also kicked off its world tour “Arirang” in April and also headlined the halftime show at the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on July 19.

Other HYBE artists also contributed to the company's strong performance.

Boybands Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen, &Team, BoyNextDoor, TWS and Cortis each sold over 1 million album copies during the first half of this year, according to Circle Chart.

HYBE’s global girl group Katseye also took home third-place awards at the 2026 American Music Awards.

Concerts have also gained momentum alongside album promotions. HYBE artists performed 119 shows across 12 acts in the first half of the year. More than 200 additional shows are planned for the second half, putting the company on pace to comfortably surpass last year's total of 279 shows performed by 10 acts.

HYBE expects the increase in tour activity will boost merchandise sales, while lifting revenue from merchandise and licensing tied to events such as its “The City” project.

The City project is HYBE’s recurring series of promotional events that HYBE organizes in the cities where its artists perform while touring, featuring pop-up stores, themed cruises and interactive city trails.

As artists stepped up their activities, fan community platform Weverse also continued to grow, HYBE said.

The number of monthly active users reached a record high for the second consecutive quarter at 14.43 million. Gross merchandise value and average revenue per paying user also posted double-digit on quarter growth of 12 percent and 24 percent, respectively.

“Our second quarter results demonstrate that HYBE is redefining the global entertainment market while serving as a key export platform for Korea's cultural industry,” Lee Jae-sang, HYBE’s CEO, said.

“These results reflect our continued efforts to drive business innovation, and we will continue to pursue our expansion and growth strategies going forward.”

BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]