HYBE said in a filing on July 28 that its second-quarter operating profit on a consolidated basis was provisionally tallied at 170.9 billion won, up 159.3 percent from a year earlier. Revenue rose 105.5 percent to 1.45 trillion won and net profit jumped 613 percent to 109.8 billion won.

The results marked record highs for both quarterly revenue and operating profit. It was the first time HYBE's quarterly revenue topped 1 trillion won and quarterly operating profit surpassed 100 billion won. Cumulative revenue for the first half also exceeded 2 trillion won for the first time, achieving both quantitative and qualitative growth.

The strong performance was driven by robust direct participation revenue from successive artist comebacks and world tours. By segment, direct participation revenue from concerts came to 647.7 billion won and the recorded music segment posted 326.8 billion won. Among indirect participation revenue, merchandise and licensing also posted a record 310.6 billion won, helped by a joint uplift effect with concerts. The company achieved a double-digit operating profit margin of 11.8 percent while more than doubling revenue from a year earlier.

The main driver was BTS, which began a world tour in April. According to global music data analytics firm Luminate, BTS' comeback album "Arirang (ARIRANG)" ranked No. 1 in U.S. vinyl and CD album sales, leading a revival in the physical album market. On July 20, the group performed at what it called the first halftime show in World Cup history at a final, demonstrating global impact.

Artists under the company also posted broad-based results backed by its multi-label strategy. Of the top 10 best-selling CD albums in the United States in the first half, albums by HYBE Music Group artists accounted for exactly half.

On South Korea's Circle Chart, seven teams reached million-seller status in the first half alone by selling more than 1 million albums each: BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen, &TEAM, BoyNextDoor, TWS and Cortis.

Rookies targeting the global market are growing rapidly. Cat's Eye, which won three awards at the 2026 American Music Awards, is expanding its musical range through a new single. Cortis recorded cumulative sales of more than 5.25 million copies with just two albums: the first mini album "COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES" and the second mini album "GREENGREEN". The company expects strong sales of Cortis' albums to continue steadily through year-end on the popularity of "merch-albums" sold with merchandise. A digital single, "ICONIC BY MISTAKE", jointly featuring Le Sserafim, ILLIT and Cat's Eye, is also continuing its long-running popularity, supported by a cross-fandom inflow effect.

The scale of offline tours will expand further in the second half. After 12 teams held 119 shows in the first half, more than 200 shows are scheduled for the second half. That is expected to significantly exceed last year's total of 279 performances by 10 teams.

Enhypen has entered the South American market for the first time and sold out a stadium show, while Le Sserafim is holding a world tour in major cities in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Rookie groups including BoyNextDoor, Cat's Eye and Cortis are also stepping up global tour schedules, and performance-linked merchandise, the "The City" project and other licensing segment growth are expected to continue.

The fan platform Weverse also grew alongside increased artist activity. Weverse monthly active users hit a record high again, following the first quarter, reaching 14.43 million. Total payment volume and average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) rose 12 percent and 24 percent, respectively, from the previous quarter. The company said artist activity has established a virtuous-cycle infrastructure in which it leads to more visits to Weverse, longer time spent, membership subscriptions and paid content purchases.

HYBE CEO Jae-sang Lee (이재상) said, "HYBE proved through its results that it is a company that newly defines the global entertainment market and functions as a key export infrastructure for South Korea's cultural industry." He said the results were the product of sustained efforts for business innovation and that the company would continue to push expansion and growth strategies.