On March 24 (local time), Netflix announced it “BTS Return Live: Arirang” recorded a total of 18.4 million viewers, including live streaming and views in the 24 hours following broadcast.
The broadcast captured the stage of BTS’ comeback event held on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul.
According to Netflix’s official website, the show logged 13.1 million views last week (calculated by dividing total watch time by running time), ranking first among non-English content by a wide margin.
It topped the weekly charts in 24 countries, including Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bulgaria, and ranked within the top 10 in a total of 80 countries worldwide.
The event also became a major topic on social media.
Netflix reported that BTS-related content on its official channels generated 2.62 billion impressions. BTS and Netflix-related hashtags trended in multiple countries, including the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.
US entertainment channel Variety commented: “The success of ‘BTS Return Live: Arirang‘It’s no surprise,’ adding, “BTS created a global phenomenon four years ago, and this marked their first full-scale performance since then.”
The concert also increased global interest in Seoul’s landmarks and Korean culture. According to BigHit Music, mentions of keywords such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, Sungnyemun Gate, traditional Korean music, King Seongdeok bell and King Sejong increased significantly on social media between March 17 and 23.
In particular, mentions of King Sejong increased by approximately 630% on March 21 compared to the previous day, probably due to the performance that took place at Gwanghwamun Square.
Furthermore, references to historical figures such as Kim Gu, mentioned in the lyrics of BTS’s new album, and King Seongdeok’s bell, featured in the album’s sound, have also gained rapid attention among global music fans.
BTS had been on hiatus due to mandatory military service, which began in December 2022 with the enlistment of eldest member Jin. All seven members completed their service by June last year and are now back with their fifth album “Arirang”.
Netflix will also release a documentary titled “BTS: The Return” on March 27, showcasing the group’s journey in preparing their new album.
Sources: Daum
