Netflix says BTS comeback concert drew bigger audience than Oscars

Netflix says the livestream of BTS’s comeback concert for its new album ARIRANG drew 18.4 million viewers worldwide, giving the event a larger audience than this year’s Oscars telecast and reinforcing the scale of the K-pop group’s global return.

The concert, titled BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG, was staged at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 21 and marked the group’s first major comeback performance in nearly four years. Netflix said the show reached 18.4 million viewers globally. That audience surpassed the 17.9 million viewers recorded for the 98th Academy Awards across ABC and Hulu in the United States.

Netflix also said the BTS special entered its weekly Top 10 in 80 countries and ranked No. 1 in 24 of them, including Thailand, highlighting the breadth of the group’s international fan base.

The event was built around the release of BTS’s fifth studio album, ARIRANG, which arrived on March 20. Netflix describes the programme as a global live performance celebrating the group’s return from Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square and makes it available across its international service.

BTS — RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — had largely paused full-group activities while members completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. 

The strong viewing figures underline how potent the partnership was: one of the world’s most powerful music acts joining with a streaming platform available in more than 190 countries. The result, at least by Netflix’s account, was a live music event that outperformed one of entertainment’s biggest annual awards shows.