Disney taps Korean pop stars BTS in latest music push

BTS, the world-famous South Korean pop band, will appear in 2 exclusive shows on Walt Disney's streaming services thanks to a deal struck with the band's label Hybe.

The projects include a concert film focusing on BTS's November 2021 live performance in Los Angeles, the first time the band met fans in person since the pandemic, and a documentary following the band's history over 9 years. Both are set to air on the Disney+ streaming service globally. The deal includes 3 other productions featuring South Korean stars, with BTS's V appearing in a travel reality series along with Choi Woo-shik, who played the son in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, and others.

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of the entertainment giant, has had a lot of success with music programming. The service saw a jump in subscribers early in the pandemic after it streamed a film version of the musical Hamilton. Other shows have featured singers Beyonce Knowles, Billie Eilish and the Beatles. The service needs to keep growing, particularly in Asia, if it wants to hit its ambitious global forecast of at least 230 million subscribers by 2024.

"This collaboration represents our creative ambition - to work with iconic content creators and top stars in Asia-Pacific so their talent can be enjoyed by mainstream audiences in multiple ways," Jessica Kam-Engle, Disney's Asia-Pacific head of content, said in a statement.

Hybe shares tumbled 25 per cent in a single day in June after BTS members said they would focus on solo projects for a while. The group made up 85 per cent of the company's revenue in 2020, according to Billboard. BLOOMBERG