18.4 million concurrent viewers, #1 in 24 countries/regions, Top 10 in 80 countries/regions, 2.6 billion social media mentions, surge in online keywords related to Korea…
The world witnessed the phenomenal comeback of BTS. Online platforms were flooded with BTS-related keywords, demonstrating the group’s overwhelming popularity and influence across all metrics. More than just a new song release, their comeback served as a global platform, promoting Korean culture worldwide.
On March 20th, BTS released their 5th full-length album, ‘ARIRANG,’ and on March 21st, they held ‘BTS COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG’ at Gwanghwamun Square. According to Netflix’s announcement on the 25th, the live broadcast of this event garnered a staggering 18.4 million viewers in a single day. Following the event, the ‘BTS COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG’ video on Netflix topped the weekly charts in 24 countries/regions and secured a spot in the ‘Top 10’ in 80 countries/regions. Weekly rankings are calculated based on cumulative viewership from Monday to Sunday, based on US time. BTS’s comeback live achieved the top spot in the weekly rankings with just two days of data.
Online engagement was equally explosive. Netflix revealed that social media mentions related to BTS before and after the performance reached a staggering 2.62 billion. This figure surpasses Netflix’s previous highest mention count for a live project (Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, 1.25 billion) by more than double, setting a new record. The fact that fans worldwide shared the same hashtags and messages in real-time, amplifying the impact, is particularly significant.
BTS’s 5th full-length album, ‘ARIRANG,’ and the Gwanghwamun Square performance sparked a surge in interest in Korean culture and Seoul’s landmarks, as confirmed by the increase in related keyword mentions. Social listening analysis revealed a significant increase in English mentions of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Sungnyemun Gate, Korean traditional music (Gugak), the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, and King Sejong the Great online between March 17th and 23rd. Notably, approximately 80-90% of the mentions within the last 30 days are concentrated around the period before and after BTS’s comeback.
Mentions of King Sejong the Great surged by approximately 630% on March 21st compared to the previous day. This is attributed to the influence of Gwanghwamun Square, the location of the ‘BTS COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG’ performance. Furthermore, keywords like the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok and Kim Gu, which are relatively unfamiliar to the global audience, received intense attention in a short period in connection with BTS’s new album.
Meanwhile, BTS successfully concluded the ‘Spotify X BTS: SWIMSIDE’ event in collaboration with Spotify, the global audio and music streaming platform, on March 24th. They are also scheduled to appear as a group on NBC’s ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on March 26th and 27th at 12:35 PM.
