Record-Breaking Revenue Growth: HYBE's First Quarter 2026 Success Story
HYBE, a leading entertainment company, reported a record-breaking consolidated revenue of 698.3 billion Korean won in the first quarter of 2026, marking a significant 40% increase from the previous year. The direct revenue streams, including sales from albums, concerts, and advertising, played a crucial role in driving the overall performance, with a 25% year-on-year growth to 403.7 billion Korean won. Music-related sales, particularly albums and digital tracks, saw a remarkable surge of 99% compared to the same period last year, reaching 271.5 billion Korean won.
The explosive growth in music sales was largely attributed to BTS, whose fifth studio album *ARIRANG* achieved outstanding success. The album sold 3.98 million copies on its release day and set a new record for the highest weekly sales by a group since 1991. BTS also made history by claiming the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks, a first for a Korean artist. The title track *SWIM* debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, with all 13 tracks from the album simultaneously charting—a significant milestone in the music industry.
The strong performances of both established and new artists further contributed to the revenue growth of HYBE. ENHYPEN, KATSEYE, and CORTIS achieved remarkable milestones in album sales and global recognition. ENHYPEN's seventh mini-album *THE SIN: VANISH* reached double-million-seller status, while KATSEYE surpassed 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify, setting a new record for girl groups worldwide. CORTIS broke the record for the highest first-album sales by a K-pop group, selling over 2 million copies of their debut album *COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES*.
Indirect revenue, which includes merchandise, licensing, content, and fan clubs, also saw a significant increase of 66% year-on-year to 294.7 billion Korean won. This growth was driven by the high demand for BTS's world tour merchandise and fan club pre-orders. The global super-fan platform Weverse recorded 13.37 million monthly active users in the first quarter, showcasing its strong platform competitiveness.
Despite a one-time accounting expense of 255 billion Korean won, HYBE's adjusted operating profit for the first quarter was 58.5 billion Korean won, with an operating margin of 8.4%. The company remains optimistic about the second quarter, expecting further growth in revenue and profit driven by major album releases and activities from label artists under HYBE, including Tomorrow X Together, Le Sserafim, TWS, ILLIT, and CORTIS, as well as the continued success of BTS's world tour.