Two shows featuring Korean pop icons BTS are set to play on Disney’s international streaming platforms, following a content agreement between The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and management group Hybe Corporation.
“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 agreement “to showcase creative excellence from South Korea’s music and entertainment industry” includes global distribution of a total of five major titles. To date only three have been disclosed.
The titles revealed so far are headlined by “BTS: Permission to Dance On Stage – LA.” The show is a 4K concert film featuring BTS’ live performance in Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021. The show was the first time in two years since the beginning of the pandemic that the band met fans in person and the set included BTS hits “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.”
Travel show “In the Soop: Friendcation” will include V from BTS alongside Park Seo-jun from “Itaewon Class,” “Parasite” star Choi Woo-shik Choi, Park Hyung-sik and Peakboy. The program features the five friends venturing on a surprise trip and enjoying a variety of leisure and fun activities. No air date was revealed.
And for BTS completists, the two companies have also agreed “BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star” a docuseries that tracks the rise and rise of the seven-member pop act. It claims “unprecedented access” to a library of music and footage over the band’s nine years and will delve into the daily lives, thoughts and plans of BTS members as they prepare for their second chapter. It will be available exclusively on Disney’s streaming services from next year.
The Walt Disney Co. has multiple streaming platforms including Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar and a majority stake in Hulu.
Hybe, which was previously known as Big Hit Entertainment, operates a range of music labels. It now created video content, games and original stories. It also has its own platform business, Weverse, focused on global fandom.