BTS In the House of Mouse: Beloved Korean Boy Band Inks Deal For Five Streaming Projects on Disney+
The world’s biggest boy band just hooked up with the world’s largest media conglomerate.
Disney+ will produce three projects for their streaming service featuring Korean pop sensation BTS. The band, comprised of members Kim Namjoon (RM), Kim Seokjin (Jin), Min Yoongi (Suga), Jung Hoseok (J-Hope), Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung (V) and Jeong Jungkook, took the world by storm 9 years ago after their debut.
The band has over 25 billion streams on Spotify, 66 million followers on Instagram, and garnered a million followers on TikTok in the first three and a half hours they were on the platform. The septet was even invited to the White House in May of this year to discuss Asian inclusion.
Now Disney is hoping to capitalize on the fame of the group, whose fans call themselves the BTS Army. The deal, made with the band’s management group Hybe Corporation, will result in five streaming projects. Three have been announced so far.
The first, BTS: Permission to Dance On Stage – LA, is a 4K concert film featuring BTS’ live performance in Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021. The show was the first time in two years since the beginning of the pandemic that the band met fans in person and the set included BTS hits “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.”
There are also two mini-series: In the Soop: Friendcation, which will include V from the group, along with his friends Park Seo-jun from Itaewon Class, Parasite star Choi Woo-shik, Park Hyung-sik and Peakboy as they go on a surprise trip enjoying a variety of fun activities.
The band recently announced that it would go on hiatus for the group members to explore some solo projects.
And finally, a docuseries called BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star tracking the rise and rise of the seven-member pop act will give fans “unprecedented access” to music and video footage covering the band’s nine years and will delve into the daily lives of BTS members as they prepare for their second chapter. It will be available exclusively on Disney’s streaming services from next year.
“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 head of content for Asia Pacific, said in a statement. “We believe these new titles will captivate consumers worldwide and look forward to introducing more music content on our service.”
No airdates have been announced and the last two projects have yet to be announced. The move is part of an announced major expansion into Asian content. It plans to greenlight more than 50 original titles from the region going into 2023.