HYBE and SM Leisure shares soar after deal introduced

Seoul/Hong Kong
CNN
 — 

HYBE, the administration company behind famous person boy band BTS, will develop into the largest shareholder of its Okay-pop rival, SM Leisure.

The transfer strengthens HYBE’s dominance in South Korea’s music business, the place it’s already the largest participant, even because it seeks to increase overseas.

The South Korean leisure giants introduced the deal Friday, with HYBE set to select up a 14.8% stake in SM Leisure for 422.8 billion Korean gained ($334.5 million).

SM was based by legendary music producer Lee Soo-man, who’s broadly referred to in South Korea as “the godfather of Okay-pop.” The corporate is thought for representing hit artists, resembling NCT 127, EXO, BoA and Women’ Technology.

Information that the 2 corporations have been becoming a member of forces fired up traders. SM Leisure’s shares soared 16% in Seoul on Friday. HYBE’s inventory initially rose 3%, earlier than paring positive factors to shut down 1.5%.

Exterior of BTS, HYBE additionally represents distinguished bands resembling NewJeans, Tomorrow x Collectively and Seventeen.

However its marquee act is presently on hiatus. Members of BTS began particular person obligatory army service in South Korea late final yr, and the group as an entire is predicted to reconvene round 2025.

Now, HYBE is popping its consideration elsewhere.

“This acquisition represents a significant step by HYBE to combine the worldwide experience of each corporations to develop into a recreation changer within the international music business,” the corporate stated in a press release.

HYBE has been taking steps to increase its international attain. On Thursday, it introduced one other main deal in the US, saying it might purchase the proprietor of High quality Management, a hip-hop label that represents well-liked artists together with Migos and Lil Yachty.

That deal will assist HYBE construct a stronger presence within the US music market, in response to Sunhwa Lee, an web and leisure analyst at KB Securities. In a report Thursday, she famous that the corporate’s broader ambitions have been “to transcend the boundaries of Okay-pop and develop new international artists throughout numerous genres.”

“This partnership is an important a part of our development plan to innovate the leisure business by way of a diversified portfolio,” HYBE Chairman Bang Si-Hyuk stated in a press release. “We are going to work collectively to proceed including depth of hip-hop to the worldwide music business.”

Bernie Cho, a Seoul-based music business government, stated the 2 offers introduced have been not like something he’d seen.

This “will be the greatest one-two energy punch I’ve ever seen or heard [of] within the historical past of the Okay-pop business,” stated Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a music artist and label providers company.

He stated the offers had the potential to place HYBE in the identical league because the “massive three” main document labels: Sony

(SNE), Common and Warner Music.

“HYBE, of their post-BTS stage, have actually surprised and stunned followers and monetary analysts by actually sensible, actually savvy big offers,” he added.

In 2019, BTS accounted for as a lot as 90% of income at its administration firm, then often called Large Hit Leisure. That left analysts involved that the agency, later renamed to HYBE, was overreliant on the band.

Since then, nevertheless, HYBE has expanded its roster.

Lately, its slate has grown to incorporate different international celebrities, together with Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, who’re represented by a group underneath HYBE’s US subsidiary.

The South Korean agency has additionally has a tie-up with Large Machine Label Group, an affiliate that oversees among the high artists in nation music, resembling Sheryl Crowe, Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw.

“HYBE is not a Okay-pop juggernaut. The Okay has now develop into silent,” stated Cho. “They’ve develop into a pop music juggernaut.”