'BTS Comeback' Propels Hive to Record Q2 Revenue of 1.45 Trillion Won, Surpassing 1 Trillion for the First Time

Operating Profit Reaches 170.9 Billion Won

Record-High Revenue from Concerts and Merchandise

BTS held the 'BTS World Tour Arirang in Busan' concert last month at the Asiad Main Stadium in Yeonje-gu, Busan. Provided by Big Hit Music

With the strong performance of BTS’s albums and world tour now fully reflected in its results, Hive’s quarterly revenue has surpassed 1 trillion won for the first time.

On July 28, Hive announced that its revenue for the second quarter of this year reached 1.45 trillion won and operating profit totaled 170.9 billion won. Both figures mark all-time highs on a quarterly basis. This is the first time that quarterly revenue has exceeded 1 trillion won and operating profit has surpassed 100 billion won. Cumulative revenue for the first half of the year also surpassed 2 trillion won for the first time.

In the second quarter, concert revenue amounted to 647.7 billion won, while album and digital music sales were 326.8 billion won. Revenue from indirect participation businesses such as merchandise and licensing also hit a quarterly record of 310.6 billion won. As the number of world tours increased, sales of concert merchandise and licensed products rose as well.

Hive’s second-quarter revenue more than doubled from the same period last year, and its operating margin reached 11.8%. The company cited two reasons for this: first, expenses related to the debut of rookie artists and the expansion of new businesses last year have started to generate returns; second, sales from large-scale world tours have been reflected in the results.

BTS, which released its fifth studio album “Arirang” in March and embarked on a world tour in April, led the company’s performance. According to a first-half report by U.S. music market analytics firm Luminate, “Arirang” topped both CD and vinyl sales in the U.S. Its first-week vinyl sales in the U.S. were 208,000 units, the highest among contemporary groups since Luminate began electronic tracking in 1991.

Album sales by other Hive artists, excluding BTS, also grew. Among the top 10 CD bestsellers in the U.S. in the first half of this year as counted by Luminate, Hive’s artists—including BTS, Enhypen, Kortis, Tomorrow X Together, and Cat’s Eye—accounted for five of the spots.

In Korea, based on the Circle Chart, seven teams—BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen, &TEAM, Boynextdoor, TWS, and Kortis—each surpassed album sales of 1 million units in the first half of the year.

Newcomer group Cat’s Eye took home three awards, including “Rookie of the Year,” at the “2026 American Music Awards” in May. Kortis achieved cumulative sales of 5.25 million albums with its first mini album “Color Outside the Lines” and its second mini album “Greengreen.”

Hive stated, “Twelve artist teams under the company held 119 concerts in the first half of this year and are scheduled to hold over 200 performances in the second half. The annual number of concerts is expected to surpass last year’s total of 279.”

Enhypen held its first stadium concerts in South America through its world tour that began in May. Le Sserafim is continuing its world tour across Japan, North America, Europe, and Asia. Boynextdoor launched its first world tour this month following its debut. Cat’s Eye will embark on a world tour in September, with some shows already sold out and additional dates added. Kortis, now in its first year, is also holding its first world tour.

The fan platform Weverse achieved record user metrics. Monthly active users (MAU) for the second quarter totaled 14.43 million, setting a new record for the second consecutive quarter. Total transaction volume grew 12% compared to the previous quarter, and average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) increased by 24%.

Jaesang Lee, CEO of Hive, said, “This performance is the result of our ongoing efforts for business innovation,” adding, “We will continue our expansion and growth strategies going forward.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.