Helena Chang, Head of Content Business, spoke to ttvnews about the South Korean company’s mission to become the world’s best entertainment lifestyle platform based on music, offering concerts, video content, original stories and retail for partners worldwide.
Driven by the increasing popularity of its artists and creativity, South Korea continues to grow its presence in the international entertainment industry, with K-Pop and K-content reaching audiences and expanding their fan bases worldwide.
Armed with a strong artist portfolio whose fandom exceeds 1.6 billion, including some of the world’s most popular performers such as BTS or Seventeen, Hybe stands as one of the strongest players in South Korea for the international audiovisual market.
“Hybe strives for the world’s best entertainment lifestyle platform company based on music”, summarized Helena Chang, Head of Content Business at Hybe.
Under the mission “We believe in music”, the company aims to combine the best from the music world with the entertainment business as a whole, through an integrated structure with its solution business that creates concerts, video content, games, original stories, and retail, as well as a platform business through Weverse, a global fandom platform.
“Hybe closely works with powerful artists and has in-house production capabilities, allowing us to maximize the flexibility in promptly meeting artists’ and creators’ needs. We aim to produce content, both on and off the stage, and deliver it to audiences worldwide”.
As Head of Content Business, Helena Chang’s primary focus is to “maximize the exposure of our artist-driven content across all platforms from TV/OTTs and Cinema. Despite the geographical diversity of K-POP fans, physical limitations often hinder artists from reaching their global audience. With our strong artists and in-house production capabilities, we create a wide range of content, from world tour concert films to compelling documentary series. This ensures that our content and artists can connect with fans worldwide.”
And when it comes to international fans, Hybe is well-established across Asia, but also in the international market, where Latin America is no exception.
“Latin America plays a vital role in our global content strategy. In September, we achieved success by launching the dubbed version of BTS Bring The Soul The Movie on Netflix LatAm, quickly ranking 4th on its launch day in Brazil and Mexico. Our recent theatrical releases, including BTS Yet To Come In Cinema and Tomorrow X Together World Tour Live Viewing, also performed exceptionally well at the box office in Latin America”, she explained.
“Furthermore, our recent participation in the K-content expo in Mexico provided us with excellent opportunities to connect with potential partners. We are eagerly looking forward to collaborating on more exciting content projects in the near future,” she added.
Seeking to grow its slate of international partners, Hybe is now headed to Cannes for the new edition of Mipcom, where it will be presenting several new titlesm starting with Weverse Con, a star-studded concert featuring renowned K-pop artists, providing a glimpse into the electrifying performances that have captivated audiences worldwide.
The company is also presenting BTS Solo Member Album Production Documentary, an in-depth exploration of the creative process behind a BTS members’ album, offering fans a unique perspective into the artist’s world; and Nana Tour – Seventeen, a collaborative project with the acclaimed South Korean PD Na Young-seok, famous for “Better Late than Never”. Seventeen embarked on an unexpected journey, devoid of prior arrangements or preparations. Extraordinary tales beyond one’s wildest imagination await them wherever they venture. Somewhere on Earth, another thrilling adventure is unfolding under the guidance of Na PD.
“Hybe’s content has a good combination of K-content and K-pop, which appeals strongly to a global audience, particularly the younger demographic. Content centered around music and captivating performances transcends language and cultural differences, making it ideal for global expansion. Therefore, I believe Hybe is a valuable partner for those seeking to attract young and global audiences,” she concluded.
