K-Pop Supergroup BTS is Coming to Disney+
Disney has landed one of the biggest groups in the world.
The Walt Disney Company and the K-pop supergroup BTS have revealed a new global partnership, with BTS’s studio home Hybe agreeing to collaborate with Disney to produce five titles for Disney+. Three of those will be exclusive projects featuring BTS or BTS members. This is a huge win for Disney as they continue to grow their streaming service’s international reach—BTS is arguably the biggest band on the planet.
In a press release, Disney revealed three of the upcoming titles:
“BTS: PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LA”: This exclusive cinematic 4K concert film features BTS’ live performance in Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021. Performing Billboard hit songs “Butter” and “Permission to Dance,” this was the first time in two years since the pandemic that the band met fans in person.
“IN THE SOOP: Friendcation”: An original travel reality show with a star-studded cast including V of BTS, Itaewon Class’ Seo-jun Park, Parasite star Woo-shik Choi, Hyung-sik Park, and Peakboy. The program features the five friends venturing on a surprise trip and enjoying a variety of leisure and fun activities.
“BTS MONUMENTS: BEYOND THE STAR”: This original docu-series follows the incredible journey of 21st-century pop icons BTS. With unprecedented access to a vast library of music and footage over the past nine years, the series will feature the daily lives, thoughts, and plans of BTS members, as they prepare for their second chapter. The docu-series will be available exclusively on Disney’s streaming services next year.
Hear from BTS themselves about their new collaboration:
Disney has been expanding their Korean drama since Disney+ launched in South Korea in November 2021. Every major streamer saw the juggernaut success of Netflix’s Squid Game, which is their most-watched show ever (Stranger Things 4 is playing some impressive catch-up, however). Disney+ premiered their own Korean original, Snowdrop, which featured Jisoo, a member of the K-pop girl group Blackpink, and it has become the streamer’s most popular original. Disney+ has promised more than 20 Korean titles in 2022, 12 of them brand new.
Meanwhile, BTS themselves are prime for reinvention. The members revealed that they’re looking to tackle solo projects (Hybe made it clear that despite this interest, they will still remain together as a supergroup), and Disney+ would be a great medium for the individual members of the world’s most popular group to show a new side of themselves.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Hybe to showcase their original content created with powerful artist IP on our global streaming services including Disney+,” said Jessica Kam-Engle, Disney’s APAC head of content, in the press release. “This collaboration represents our creative ambition – to work with iconic content creators and top stars in Asia Pacific so their talent can be enjoyed by mainstream audiences in multiple ways. We believe these new titles will captivate consumers worldwide and look forward to introducing more music content on our service.”
“This will be the start of a long-term collaboration, where we present worldwide audiences a wide range of Hybe content for fans who love our music and artists,” said Park Ji-won, CEO of Hybe. “The Walt Disney Company has a long history of franchise-building and promoting musical artists, with its unparalleled brands and platforms.”
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Featured image: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: BTS perform onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
