▲ This file photo taken July 24, 2025, shows the Hybe headquarters in Seoul. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Hybe-Q2 earnings

(LEAD) Hybe posts record-high Q2 sales on robust world tours

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with Hybe's conference call; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's K-pop giant Hybe posted record second-quarter revenue on the back of robust world tours and steady demand for music and album sales, the company said Wednesday.

Revenue rose 10.2 percent from a year earlier to 705.7 billion won (US$507.5 million), marking an all-time high for an April-June period. The company cited expanded global tours and solo concerts by artists including BTS members Jin and J-Hope, Seventeen, Tomorrow X Together and Le Sserafim.

Operating profit climbed 29.5 percent to 65.9 billion won, though it fell short of the 67.8 billion-won market consensus compiled by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data service of Yonhap News Agency. Net profit surged 53.5 percent to 15.5 billion won.

Artist-related sales -- encompassing concerts, albums and music -- totaled 447.9 billion won. Concert revenue jumped 31 percent on-year to 188.7 billion won, while album and music sales declined 8.4 percent to 228.6 billion won. Hybe characterized the latter as a "stable" performance, given the slowdown in the broader K-pop album market.

Sales from merchandising, licensing and fan clubs reached 258.7 billion won. Among them, merchandise and licensing revenue soared 40 percent to 152.9 billion won, while fan club revenue surged 46 percent to a record 34.6 billion won.

Hybe's K-pop fan community platform Weverse posted solid user growth, with average monthly active users (MAUs) reaching 10.9 million in the second quarter. MAUs peaked at 12 million in June, when all BTS members had completed their military service.

"Hybe is making meaningful changes based on three pillars: music, platforms and tech-based future growth businesses," Hybe CEO Lee Jae-sang said during the Q2 earnings conference call. "We will continue to lead the paradigm shift in the global music industry and drive innovation that connects fans and artists."

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