BTS gross $18m+ with biggest-ever paid live stream

Bang Bang Con: The Live, a 100-minute live stream featuring K-pop superstars BTS, was the most-attended paid virtual concert to date, with more than 750,000 people in 107 countries tuning in at 6pm Korean time yesterday (14 June).

The interactive show – co-produced by the band’s agency/management company, Big Hit Entertainment, and US livestreaming firm Kiswe – saw band members performing in various spaces (two concert stages and five rooms), with fans able to switch between six viewing angles, from “video call-like close-ups to full shots that encapsulated the tight choreography”, according to Big Hit.

The event peaked at 756,600 peak concurrent viewers – equivalent to 15 shows at a 50,000-capacity stadium, and more than ten times that of fellow Korean band SuperM’s Beyond Live show – all of whom had paid to be there.

Tickets were priced at ₩29,000 (US$24) for members of BTS’s ARMY fan club, and ₩39,000 ($32) for members of the general public, meaning the concert grossed at least ₩21.9 billion, or $18 million, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The event peaked at 756,600 peak concurrent viewers

After performing hits including ‘Dope’, ‘Boy With Luv’, ‘Black Swan’ and ‘Like’, and ‘Jamais Vu’, ‘Respect’ and ‘Friends’ from their fourth studio album, Map of the Soul: 7, BTS closed the show by telling fans they’re looking forward to getting on the road again soon.

“We need to meet each other again,” said Suga, with V and Jin adding: “I hope we can perform again soon, because I want to see ARMY with my very own eyes.”

Bang Bang Con: The Live is the first time Big Hit has charged for an online-only show, although BTS raised an additional €3.5m from livestreaming their historic Wembley Stadium concerts last summer.

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