BIG HIT'S BIG BUCKS

BTS and Tomorrow X Together helped Big Hit Entertainment nearly double its revenue in 2019 and generate a nearly 20% spike in operating profit. This year, BTS will help you learn Korean.

Big Hit’s revenue grew to $495m from $254m as operating profit reached $80m from “sales of albums, music sources, performances, video content and intellectual properties, as well as (business) platforms, driven by business diversification,” the company reported.

At a presentation in Seoul, Big Hit co-CEO Bang Si-Hyuk credited portions of the company’s growth to the acquisition of Source Music—the label home of GFriend—and establishing the joint label Belift with Korean-entertainment company CJ ENM.

Belift will be introducing a new boy band of members from multiple countries this year; Source Music and Big Hit will launch a girl group in 2021; and Big Hit will debut a boy band in 2022.

Plans for BTS this year include a drama series, a computer game, a book series and a Korean language education video program, Learn Korean, that will come out in March. Perhaps we'll be able to translate what all those girls are screaming.