HYBE Announces Q1 2026 Earnings, Consolidated Revenue Nears 700 Billion Won, Setting a New "All-Time High"
HYBE recorded a record-breaking consolidated revenue of 698.3 billion won in Q1 2026, driven by BTS's "ARIRANG" album, the success of new artists, and the growth of Weverse. Accounting operating profit was in the red due to a non-cash expense from the principal shareholder's private donation for employee compensation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 12:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 13:15 (43 min after Collected)
Sales recorded a 40% increase year-on-year to 698.3 billion won, setting a new record for the first quarter.
BTS's The 5th Album 'ARIRANG' drove performance, with new acts such as KATSEYE and CORTIS also growing dramatically.
The principal shareholder provided 255 billion won in private assets for employee compensation, treated as an accounting expense with no cash outflow.
HYBE announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 on Wednesday, April 29th.
During the entertainment industry's off-season from January to March, HYBE recorded consolidated revenue of 698.3 billion won (approx. 75 billion JPY*) in Q1 2026, achieving "all-time high" performance for a first quarter. This was a significant 40% increase from the previous year's same period (500.6 billion won), which was the highest Q1 record at that time.
Direct participation sales, including albums, music, concerts, and advertising, increased by 25% year-on-year to 403.7 billion won (approx. 44 billion JPY*). Among these, album and music sales reached 271.5 billion won, a 99% increase year-on-year. This is an extremely high level, comparable to Q4 2023 (276.2 billion won), which saw numerous new records such as SEVENTEEN's 11th Mini Album 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN' achieving the highest initial sales in K-POP history, and Jung Kook's Solo Album 'GOLDEN' achieving the highest initial sales for a solo artist ever.
This growth was largely driven by BTS's 5th Album 'ARIRANG'. 'ARIRANG' recorded sales of 3.98 million copies on its release day alone. According to Luminate, a US global music data analytics firm, 'ARIRANG's LP also sold 208,000 copies in a week, marking the highest weekly sales volume for a group since data collection began in 1991.
Furthermore, the album achieved a monumental record of three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard's main album chart "Billboard 200," a first for a Korean artist. The title track "SWIM" secured the No. 1 spot on Billboard's main song chart "Hot 100," and all 13 songs on the album charted, achieving a historic feat.
The success of next-generation artists is also solid. ENHYPEN achieved its fourth double-million seller with its 7th Mini Album 'THE SIN : VANISH'. KATSEYE's monthly listeners on Spotify surpassed 32 million, marking an overwhelming scale as a global girl group. Including their 2nd EP 'BEAUTIFUL CHAOS', released in June 2025, cumulative CD sales have reached 1 million copies. Moreover, CORTIS's The 1st EP 'COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES' also set a record for the highest debut album sales for a K-POP group, with cumulative sales reaching 2 million copies by February this year.
Indirect participation sales from MD (merchandise), licensing, content, and fan clubs amounted to 294.7 billion won (approx. 32 billion JPY*), an increase of 66% year-on-year. By segment, MD/licensing and fan club sales grew by 29% and 69% respectively compared to the previous year. In the MD/licensing segment, tour-related products, including BTS's official light sticks, and character goods based on HYBE MUSIC GROUP artists contributed to strong performance. Fan club sales saw a sharp increase, supported by pre-sale demand for BTS's world tour performances.
Global Superfan Platform "Weverse," which achieved a full-year profit turnaround last year, also recorded the highest active metrics and revenue growth since its service launch in Q1 this year. Its monthly active users (MAU) in Q1 increased by 20% quarter-on-quarter to 13.37 million, renewing its all-time high.
HYBE's adjusted operating profit, reflecting actual business results for Q1 this year, was 58.5 billion won (approx. 6.3 billion JPY*). The adjusted operating profit margin was calculated at 8.4%.
Regarding accounting operating profit, it was in the red because 255 billion won, donated by the principal shareholder as private assets (shares) to fund employee performance bonuses, was recorded as an accounting expense. This expense does not involve a cash outflow from the company (non-cash expense) but is recognized as a one-time expense based on accounting standards.
From Q2, TOMORROW X T...
BTS's The 5th Album 'ARIRANG' drove performance, with new acts such as KATSEYE and CORTIS also growing dramatically.
The principal shareholder provided 255 billion won in private assets for employee compensation, treated as an accounting expense with no cash outflow.
HYBE announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 on Wednesday, April 29th.
During the entertainment industry's off-season from January to March, HYBE recorded consolidated revenue of 698.3 billion won (approx. 75 billion JPY*) in Q1 2026, achieving "all-time high" performance for a first quarter. This was a significant 40% increase from the previous year's same period (500.6 billion won), which was the highest Q1 record at that time.
Direct participation sales, including albums, music, concerts, and advertising, increased by 25% year-on-year to 403.7 billion won (approx. 44 billion JPY*). Among these, album and music sales reached 271.5 billion won, a 99% increase year-on-year. This is an extremely high level, comparable to Q4 2023 (276.2 billion won), which saw numerous new records such as SEVENTEEN's 11th Mini Album 'SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN' achieving the highest initial sales in K-POP history, and Jung Kook's Solo Album 'GOLDEN' achieving the highest initial sales for a solo artist ever.
This growth was largely driven by BTS's 5th Album 'ARIRANG'. 'ARIRANG' recorded sales of 3.98 million copies on its release day alone. According to Luminate, a US global music data analytics firm, 'ARIRANG's LP also sold 208,000 copies in a week, marking the highest weekly sales volume for a group since data collection began in 1991.
Furthermore, the album achieved a monumental record of three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard's main album chart "Billboard 200," a first for a Korean artist. The title track "SWIM" secured the No. 1 spot on Billboard's main song chart "Hot 100," and all 13 songs on the album charted, achieving a historic feat.
The success of next-generation artists is also solid. ENHYPEN achieved its fourth double-million seller with its 7th Mini Album 'THE SIN : VANISH'. KATSEYE's monthly listeners on Spotify surpassed 32 million, marking an overwhelming scale as a global girl group. Including their 2nd EP 'BEAUTIFUL CHAOS', released in June 2025, cumulative CD sales have reached 1 million copies. Moreover, CORTIS's The 1st EP 'COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES' also set a record for the highest debut album sales for a K-POP group, with cumulative sales reaching 2 million copies by February this year.
Indirect participation sales from MD (merchandise), licensing, content, and fan clubs amounted to 294.7 billion won (approx. 32 billion JPY*), an increase of 66% year-on-year. By segment, MD/licensing and fan club sales grew by 29% and 69% respectively compared to the previous year. In the MD/licensing segment, tour-related products, including BTS's official light sticks, and character goods based on HYBE MUSIC GROUP artists contributed to strong performance. Fan club sales saw a sharp increase, supported by pre-sale demand for BTS's world tour performances.
Global Superfan Platform "Weverse," which achieved a full-year profit turnaround last year, also recorded the highest active metrics and revenue growth since its service launch in Q1 this year. Its monthly active users (MAU) in Q1 increased by 20% quarter-on-quarter to 13.37 million, renewing its all-time high.
HYBE's adjusted operating profit, reflecting actual business results for Q1 this year, was 58.5 billion won (approx. 6.3 billion JPY*). The adjusted operating profit margin was calculated at 8.4%.
Regarding accounting operating profit, it was in the red because 255 billion won, donated by the principal shareholder as private assets (shares) to fund employee performance bonuses, was recorded as an accounting expense. This expense does not involve a cash outflow from the company (non-cash expense) but is recognized as a one-time expense based on accounting standards.
From Q2, TOMORROW X T...