[Weekly Digest Feb.06 - Feb.12] Hybe to become largest shareholder in SM Ent. ... Yoo Ah-in's propofol use probe leaves film industry in disarray

Ha Eun Lee

◇ Hybe to become largest shareholder in SM Entertainment

▲ Lee Soo-man (L), founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, and Bang Si-hyuk, founder and chairman of Hybe, are seen in these photos provided by the companies. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Hybe, the Korean entertainment agency behind supergroup BTS, said Friday it will acquire a 14.8 percent stake in its rival K-pop agency SM Entertainment to become its largest shareholder, a deal expected to have deep repercussions on the K-pop industry.

Hybe said in a regulatory filing that it has agreed to buy the shares from SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man for 422.8 billion won (US$335.8 million) and the deal will be sealed on March 6. Lee currently holds an 18.46 percent stake in SM Entertainment.

On top of Lee's shares, Hybe said it will additionally buy stakes from minority shareholders by March 1. Meanwhile, SM Entertainment issued a statement on Friday to voice opposition to Lee's deal with Hybe.

At stake is the future of SM Entertainment. The current management has recently announced plans to introduce multi-production lines to veer from Lee's dominant influence and diversify its portfolio in partnership with the deep-pocketed tech giant Kakao.

​◇ TXT tops Billboard 200 for 'Temptation'

▲ This photo, provided by BigHit Music, shows the K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together

K-pop superstar group TxT (Tomorrow X Together) fifth mini album “Temptation”has topped the billboards main album chart “Billboard 200.”

TxT will be the fifth Kpop artist to have topped the “Billboard 200” after BTS in 2018, Super M in 2019, Stray Kids in 2022 and BLACKPINK in 2022.

◇ Singer Lee Seung-gi to marry actor Lee Da-in in April

▲ This photo, provided by JTBC, shows singer and actor Lee Seung-gi. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Singer Lee Seung-gi will tie the knot with actor Lee Da-in in April, after almost two years of dating, he announced Tuesday. 

The two have been dating since formally acknowledging their romantic relationship in May 2021.

◇ Yoo Ah-in’s propofol use probe leaves upcoming films and drama series in doubt for release

▲ This photo, provided by UAA, shows actor Yoo Ah-in. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in is reportedly being investigated for the alleged illegal use of an anesthetic drug and has been banned from overseas travel. With the actor going under police probe, the film industry is now focusing on the findings of the investigation as Yoo was looking forward to appearing both on the big and small screens.

The 36-year-old actor was slated to play the lead in the film “Hi.5,” as well as Netflix’s “The Match” and original drama series “Goodbye Earth.”

◇ Reality competition show ‘Physical: 100’ tops Netflix’s TV Program category

▲ This photo, provided by FlixPatrol, shows the top TV shows on Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows 'Physical: 100' topping the Non-English TV category chart. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Netflix’s original reality competition show “Physical: 100” has officially reached the “Top 3 Most-Watched Shows” spot, topping the global rankings in just 15 days after its release, according to FlixPatrol.

According to the ranking by country, the show ranked first in 38 countries, including South Korea, Canada, France, and Germany; it also scored second place in 15 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, and Hungary.

Netflix also announced that the show had scored second in the non-English TV category in terms of viewing time, accumulating a total of 31.3 million hours of viewing time in the first week of February.

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