BTS gross an estimated $44m from weekend live streams
K-pop superstars BTS have grossed over $44 million from their ticketed virtual concert weekend, Map of the Soul On:e.
The two-day live stream was broadcast live from Seoul in South Korea on 10 and 11 October and reached 993,000 viewers in 191 regions.
This is a substantial increase from the group’s record-breaking livestream concert in June, Bang Bang Con: The Live show, which was watched from 104 regions.
General admission tickets for Map of the Soul On:e were priced at $81 for a weekend ticket; $90.89 for a weekend ticket plus entry to the online exhibition; and $44.55 upwards for a day ticket.
Production for Map of the Soul On:e is said to have cost eight times more than Bang Bang Con: The Live
For the Bang Bang Con: The Live concert, the group charged between $24 and $32 and grossed an estimated $18m.
Map of the Soul On:e, the world’s first streaming concert that applied both multi-view and 4K/HD, comprised a total of 23 performances across two 150-minute concerts.
Production for the show is said to have cost eight times more than Bang Bang Con: The Live, comprising four stages; technological features such as AR, XR and 4K/HD to bring viewers a more vivid and theatrical concert experience; and multiview live streaming that displays six screens from which fans could select their favourite.
Bang Bang Con: The Live, earned the group a Guinness World Record title for attracting the highest number of viewers for a music concert live stream ever.
A total of 756,000 viewers from over 100 countries tuned in concurrently to watch the online performance on 14 June, which was broadcast live from Seoul, South Korea, featuring a 12-song setlist and allowed fans to switch between six viewing angles.
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BTS announce follow-up to biggest live stream to date
This weekend, K-pop superstars BTS will deliver the follow-up to their last virtual concert, Bang Bang Con: The Live, which was the most-attended paid live stream show to date.
The South Korean group’s return to the stage, titled Map of the Soul On:e, will be livestreamed across two days (10 and 11 October) at 11am and 8am BST, respectively.
The concert, which supposedly took a year of preparation, is set to bring brand new performances as well as altered setlists for each day.
While the production, which costs eight times more than Bang Bang Con: The Live, will comprise four stages; technological features such as AR, XR and 4K/HD to bring viewers a more vivid and theatrical concert experience; and multiview live streaming that displays six screens from which fans can select their favourite.
The production, which costs eight times more than Bang Bang Con: The Live, will comprise four stages
Bang Bang Con: The Live, a 100-minute live stream, took place on 14 June and saw more than 750,000 people in 107 countries tune in.
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.
Bang Bang Con: The Live was 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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BTS earn GWR for most-viewed concert live stream
Korean boy-band BTS have achieved a Guinness World Records title for attracting the highest number of viewers for a music concert live stream ever with their recent Bang Bang Con: The Live show.
A total of concurrent 756,000 viewers from over 100 countries tuned in to watch the online performance on 14 June, which was broadcast live from Seoul, South Korea, featuring a 12-song setlist and allowed fans to switch between six viewing angles.
All three-quarter of a million viewers paid to watch the show via fan community platform Weverse, with tickets priced at ₩29,000 (€21) for members of BTS’s ARMY fan club, and ₩39,000 (€28) for members of the general public.
According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, the concert grossed at least ₩21.9 billion, or €15.7 million.
The band currently holds multiple Guinness World Records, including being the first K-pop act to reach number one in the US album chart; having the best-selling album in South Korea; reaching one million TikTok followers in the shortest amount of time (three hours and 31 minutes) and the most used Twitter engagements over a 24-hour period, with the band’s #TwitterBestFandom hashtag being tweeted over 60 million times in a day.
Congratulations to @BTS_twt who have achieved a new @GWR title for 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺.
Bang Bang Con: The Live was watched by 756,000 fans in over 100 countries 👏https://t.co/hkDKgtUxwa
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 22, 2020
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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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