Solidifying its programming slate in K-pop-related content, Disney+ will premiere BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star later this year and offer “unprecedented access” to the boyband’s extraordinary 10-year journey. On the streaming platform, audiences can find a wide range of docu-series and concert films featuring top-tier K-pop acts like BTS, Tomorrow X Together (TXT), Super Junior, Psy and NCT 127.
“We’re continuing to learn about the balance between performance and archival footage. Is it the journey that people want to see, or them hanging out, or the performance?” said Carol Choi, executive vice-president of Disney’s original content strategy across the Asia-Pacific region. “We’re still looking at various ways to entertain and we’ve not come to any conclusion.”
Historic partnership with HYBE, the record label behind BTS
Last year, Disney announced a partnership with Korea’s HYBE, the record label behind BTS. “It did take a while,” said Choi, about the deal. “At that time, we were starting out and we knew that they have their own platform, Weverse, so how do we figure that out and get the windowing?”
“But ultimately, we both had a strong desire. They are big Disney fans,” Choi added. “Honestly, if we had more time, we would love to be able to do more. We would love to explore ideas to connect them to do things at the Parks.”
With this approach, Disney is able to strategically anchor its new K-pop-related content in well-established K-pop fanbases and communities, guaranteeing a wide audience for its shows. The streamer’s K-pop content slate includes concert films, docu-series, reality shows and more intimate, behind-the-scenes stories following individual acts.
It comes with no surprise that some of Disney+’s top-performing K-pop related shows involve BTS members. Concert film BTS: Permission to Dance – LA became one of Disney+’s top 10 most-watched films for the majority of APAC markets in its first month of launch, based on hours watched. Outside of Asia, the film also emerged among the top 10 most-watched titles across the LATAM region.
In the Soop: Friendcation was among the streamer’s top three most-watched titles across Asia in its premiere week. The four-episode series featured BTS’ V, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, Park Hyung-sik and Peakboy going on a four-day “friendship trip.”
Shows following individual acts within BTS — like j-hope In The Box — have also proved popular on Disney+, especially with the group currently on hiatus. Suga: Road to D-Day performed exceptionally well in Japan and the Philippines, claiming the most-watched movie spot the week it premiered on service. “Individual artists like J-Hope and Suga were delivering their first solo album and there are stories there as well,” Choi said.
Developing new shows with other K-pop acts
While Choi pointed out that the HYBE agreement was a “big deal” and forms a major part of the studio’s content strategy, Disney is still interested in other content from K-pop acts like Super Junior and NCT 127.
In late August 2023, NCT 127: The Lost Boys premiered on Disney+, while the platform also released Psy Summer Swag 2022 in May 2023, which followed the “Gangnam Style” singer on his summer concerts across seven Korean cities. In July 2023, Disney+ released TXT: Our Lost Summer, a documentary following TXT, a five-member boyband also managed by HYBE. This year, TXT became the first Korean act to perform and headline Lollapalooza, a four-day music festival in Chicago. Disney+ also rolled out Super Junior: The Last Man Standing in January.
The relationship between Disney and K-pop pre-dates the groundbreaking deal with HYBE. For Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary show in November 2018, which was telecast on ABC, Korean boyband subunit NCT127 performed “Regular” from their album alongside the iconic Disney character.
Choi added that the development process of each show is different for every K-pop artist. “A lot of it comes from the management because they know their artist best,” Choi said. “We work together in terms of what is important for that artist at that time.”
“They understand that their fans want a sneak peek behind the scenes of what is going on, and their motivation,” Choi said. “That’s how we continue to package this portfolio of content.”
Currently, Disney is focused on the K-pop industry and is not looking to expand the slate to include collaborations with popular singers from other markets. This includes artists from established music industries like Hong Kong or Taiwan. “There are pockets of tremendous artists and idols in each market but currently, the one with the highest travelability is K-pop,” Choi said. “Certain markets may look for content on their own platform, like they may license certain content.”
For example, in February 2023, Disney+ streamed live two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu’s figure skating show, Gift, only for Japan’s subscribers. Held in the Tokyo Dome, the figure skating show — which is produced by Hanyu, also a well-known Winne the Pooh fan — was streamed via non-Disney platforms for other territories. It has since been packaged into a two-hour show released worldwide on Disney+.
“One of the challenges is to find that voice because we do carry the Disney+ name on our service. It could mean different things to different people,” Choi added. “It is a very competitive market out there, so how do we find a balance between trying new things to showcase the best talents, work closely with our creators and bring those content to life?”
Read the full article here