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The largest band in the world is joining Disney. The BTS is joining the stable of Disney’s digital stars by coming to its streaming platforms.
The entertainment behemoth revealed Monday that it would introduce a new original series starring members of the South Korean pop trio to Disney+, sharing the news exclusively with CNN Business.
Five new titles will arise from that with BTS’ management organization, HYBE. Previously, the company was known as Big Hit Entertainment.
Two of the new titles, including a behind-the-scenes documentary series and a taped concert special in Los Angeles, will be filmed with the complete band. Disney anticipates the latter to make its appearance in 2019.
The band expressed their excitement at giving fans “a more up-close and personal side of us” in a recorded video message shared with CNN Business.
BTS has seen meteoric success in recent years, drawing hordes of followers known as the “Army” from all over the world.
The seven-person team, however, recently announced that it would be taking a hiatus to investigate different initiatives, some of which will be undertaken alone.
That is reflected in the new partnership with Disney. The company said that one upcoming title is a reality show in which V from BTS and other Korean celebrities go on vacation.
The band’s documentary will also give viewers a glimpse into their daily life “as they gear up for their second chapter,” according to a joint release from Disney and HYBE.
The agreement’s terms weren’t made public. This shows that Disney (DIS) is putting a high priority on top talent as it goes after Netflix (NFLX) and takes advantage of the current interest in Korean content and culture.
As an illustration, “Squid Game,” a Netflix success from South Korea that rose to the position of the company’s top show globally, generated a lot of discussion among fans last year. Disney claimed that it has also had success with programs like “Snowdrop,” a Korean series that just became one of Asia’s most popular programs.
The action is a part of a significant push into Asian content that the corporation announced in October. By 2023, it intends to release more than 50 locally produced original films.
At the time, the Hollywood powerhouse announced that it had ordered new shows from South Korea, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Many of the shows will be shown in local languages, like Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia.
Also, Netflix has been putting a lot of money into making original shows in Asian languages, like Korean and Japanese, which are very popular around the world.
Read Also: BTS continues to dominate the US K-pop genre
However, since it disclosed in April that it had lost members for the first time in a decade, the company’s price has come under pressure. The news revived discussion about the streaming industry’s long-term prospects.
However, investors are less anxious about Disney. The number of Disney+ subscribers increased during the prior quarter by more than anticipated, the company reported in its most recent results presentation in May, bringing the total to 137.7 million.
