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K-pop powerhouse Hybe reported the best quarter in its history, driven by BTS’ world tour and the growing U.S. success of the girl group Katseye.
Revenue for the July-September quarter reached 1.5257 trillion won ($1.13 billion), and operating profit hit 188.5 billion won ($140.2 million), for a margin of 12.4%.
Both figures topped the records the company set in the previous quarter. In the first nine months of the year, Hybe took in $2.73 billion, more than it has earned in any full year.
Concert revenue hit a quarterly high of $540.5 million as BTS drew about 70,000 fans per show in Europe and the U.S. Hybe’s other acts, including Enhypen, Le Sserafim, &Team, Katseye, and Cortis, were also on the road.
Merchandise and licensing sales set their own record at $248.8 million, with BTS’ North American tour merchandise alone accounting for $79.6 million.
Hybe credited products tailored to local markets and Weverse Pickup, a service that lets fans order online and collect purchases at the venue.
The company plans to use the same approach for tours by its other artists.
Hybe pointed to Katseye and Japan’s &Team as proof that its "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy is working.
Katseye’s third EP, "Wild," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 150,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., about five times its previous release.
Their single "Animal" has spent 12 straight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
The group sold out all 31 of its shows in 27 cities across Europe and North America, and will tour Asia and Oceania starting in January 2027.
&Team, meanwhile, has sold a million copies of each of its last four releases in Japan. Its second Korean mini album debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200, the best showing yet for a Japanese boy group.
Hybe is planning to host the first Weverse Con Festival in New Delhi, held outside Korea in March 2027, and the company is developing a localized artist project for the Indian market.
BTS’ tour continues into the first half of 2027.
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