BTS ‘Bang Bang Con’ Blockbuster Streaming Event Attracts 756K Paying Viewers

Bang Bang Con
Courtesy Big Hit Entertainment – Bang Bang Con
BTS

BTS has set the bar for the paid livestream concert, with more than 756,000 viewers tuning in from 107 different regions June 14 to view the “Bang Bang Con The Live” event, which featured a 12-song set from an intimate setting. 

For the event, the global k-pop phenomenon known as BTS teamed up with U.S.-based streaming company KIswe, offering multi-view livestream allowing fans to choose their favorite angles of the performance.
The fans responded fervently, with the already-massive ARMY fanclub seeing an immediate increase of 10,000 members after what organizers are calling the largest-ever audience for a paid virtual concert. 
“I hope you could feel our love for the stage, as we prepared really hard for today,” said BTS member j-hope during the performance, adding “I am so happy to be in a sweat after performing.” 
Jimin told fans that “Though we may not be able to see each other at this time, we’ve been constantly striving to grow as a group. We are coping up with it pretty well so hope that you too can overcome this time by finding the small joy within. Hope we can meet each other again with smiles on our faces.”
Fans’ responses were more passionate than ever – the fanclub saw an increase of 10,000 members and the concert reached up to 756,600 peak concurrent viewers, which equates to 15 shows at a 50,000-capacity stadium. Marking the biggest audience for a paid virtual concert, BTS is regarded to have shown new possibilities of virtual concerts in the age of COVID-19. 
As the show came to a close, BTS shared a message of encouragement and appreciation to the fans. 
“I hope you could feel our love for the stage, as we prepared really hard for today,” said j-hope, adding “I am so happy to be in a sweat after performing.” Jimin told fans that “Though we may not be able to see each other at this time, we’ve been constantly striving to grow as a group. We are coping up with it pretty well so hope that you too can overcome this time by finding the small joy within. Hope we can meet each other again with smiles on our faces.”
BTS’ staggering streaming success with the Bang Bang Con performance may not be that big of a surprise, considering the group’s worldwide fame. They also have caught on in North America like very few Asian artists before them, with 2019 seeing them gross $145.1 million on more than 1 million tickets on just 27 shows. 
“It’s such a global phenomenon,” Live Nation’s Jared Braverman said in a 2019 Pollstar cover story. “BTS is massive all around the world. Their audience continues to grow at a rate unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.”