logo
McDonald's, BTS reunite with new Happy Meal launch next month

McDonald's, BTS reunite with new Happy Meal launch next month

Korea Herald13 hours ago
McDonald's is once again teaming up with global pop sensation BTS to roll out a new collaboration in September.
According to McDonald's Korea on Wednesday, the 'BTS Happy Meal' will debut on Sept. 3 in 66 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Germany, Brazil and Australia.
The Happy Meal is McDonald's children's menu set, which includes a hamburger, fries, a drink and a toy. For this collaboration, the toy will be a miniature figurine from BTS's TinyTan character line, modeled after the group's members.
Earlier this week, the US burger chain teased the launch by posting an image on its official Instagram account showing a Happy Meal box alongside the tops of seven figurines' heads.
This will be the second collaboration between McDonald's and BTS. Their first project, 'The BTS Meal,' released in 2021, was available in more than 50 countries and drove record-high annual sales for McDonald's Korea. The limited-edition purple packaging and merchandise also sparked a wave of fan excitement.
The new TinyTan figures are expected to attract not only children but also adult collectors and fans.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hybe continues to rely heavily on BTS for profit despite diversification push
Hybe continues to rely heavily on BTS for profit despite diversification push

Korea Herald

time12 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Hybe continues to rely heavily on BTS for profit despite diversification push

J-Hope's world tour accounted for 40 percent of company's concert revenue in Q2: analyst Despite Hybe's ongoing efforts to diversify its business and reduce dependence on BTS, new data shows the K-pop powerhouse still relies heavily on its flagship group for generating profit. Earlier in August, the company announced a record quarterly revenue of 705.6 billion won ($504.4 million) with 63 percent coming directly from artist-driven activities such as concerts and albums. While overall album sales fell 8.4 percent year-on-year, concert revenue offset the decline. Concerts alone accounted for 26.7 percent of total revenue, jumping 31 percent year-on-year to 188.7 billion won, leading overall growth. Nearly 40 percent of Hybe's concert revenue in the second quarter came from BTS member J-Hope's 'Hope on the Stage' world tour, according to Kim Hyun-yong, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, speaking in a local news show Tuesday. If accurate, it would mean J-Hope generated about 75.5 billion won — roughly 10 percent of Hybe's total quarterly earnings. J-Hope's tour ran from February to June across 16 cities, staging 33 shows and drawing about 500,000 fans, including sold-out stadiums in Los Angeles and Mexico City. The finale took place at Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province in June. BTS member Jin's solo tour boosted Hybe's performance, as did Seventeen's fan meetings in Japan and world tours by Tomorrow X Together and Le Sserafim, which together attracted 1.8 million concertgoers worldwide. Indirect revenue streams such as merchandise, licensing, content and fan club memberships accounted for 37 percent, or 257.8 billion won, of Hybe's total revenue. Hybe's Disney-style vision faces limits Since 2022, Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk has promoted Hybe as a '360-degree business,' likening it to Disney in its pursuit of intellectual property-driven growth across music, tech and fandom platforms. He has described Hybe as 'half a tech company,' aiming to be self-sustaining and not reliant on any single artist. However, the latest results suggest otherwise. Most of Hybe's profits still come from direct artist activities, raising questions about the pace of its diversification strategy. Hybe has been investing in new groups and expanding its global fan platform Weverse, but so far no act has been able to match BTS' sales power. NewJeans emerged as a next-generation K-pop star in 2022; however, NewJeans' ongoing legal dispute with Hybe subsidiary Ador has kept the group inactive. Meanwhile, Hybe America's girl group Katseye, launched with Geffen Records under a localized K-pop training system, has yet to make a significant financial impact despite placing two songs — 'Gabriela' and 'Gnarly' — on the Billboard Hot 100 within just over a year since its debut.

McDonald's, BTS reunite with new Happy Meal launch next month
McDonald's, BTS reunite with new Happy Meal launch next month

Korea Herald

time13 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

McDonald's, BTS reunite with new Happy Meal launch next month

McDonald's is once again teaming up with global pop sensation BTS to roll out a new collaboration in September. According to McDonald's Korea on Wednesday, the 'BTS Happy Meal' will debut on Sept. 3 in 66 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Germany, Brazil and Australia. The Happy Meal is McDonald's children's menu set, which includes a hamburger, fries, a drink and a toy. For this collaboration, the toy will be a miniature figurine from BTS's TinyTan character line, modeled after the group's members. Earlier this week, the US burger chain teased the launch by posting an image on its official Instagram account showing a Happy Meal box alongside the tops of seven figurines' heads. This will be the second collaboration between McDonald's and BTS. Their first project, 'The BTS Meal,' released in 2021, was available in more than 50 countries and drove record-high annual sales for McDonald's Korea. The limited-edition purple packaging and merchandise also sparked a wave of fan excitement. The new TinyTan figures are expected to attract not only children but also adult collectors and fans.

How social media and streaming platforms are shaping K-pop debuts
How social media and streaming platforms are shaping K-pop debuts

Korea Herald

time2 days ago

  • Korea Herald

How social media and streaming platforms are shaping K-pop debuts

From TikTok to Melon, new groups like Cortis leverage global social media and music platforms to connect with fans and amplify their debut A decade ago, K-pop groups mainly prepared for local television music and variety shows when debuting or releasing a new album. Today, the landscape has changed dramatically: idols must establish a presence across multiple platforms, from music streaming services like Spotify and Melon to video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Interestingly, platforms that once had clear, distinct functions are now overlapping. Music streaming services are hosting original content, while social media platforms are increasingly offering music-related features. As a result, idol groups must diversify their digital strategies. Big Hit Music's newly debuted boy group, Cortis, is a prime example. The group first revealed its name on TikTok on Aug. 7, posting a short-form video titled 'Logo Sound' that introduced the members. In less than 24 hours, the video surpassed two million views and 300,000 likes, signaling strong interest. 'With so many platforms available, agencies vary promotional strategies depending on the group's experience and strengths,' an executive from a local K-pop powerhouse said, 'For example, if a group wants to highlight their visuals, they produce content optimized for that purpose.' Cortis also ran a separate TikTok promotion shortly after. Searching the group name on the platform reveals hidden Easter eggs and clues related to music videos from their debut album. The initiative generated comments in multiple languages, including Korean, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian and Thai, reflecting early international fan engagement. Four days after their TikTok launch, Cortis held a 24-hour YouTube premiere event, releasing original content every hour featuring music, choreography and video production. Fans could also submit questions to the members in real-time, creating an interactive debut experience. On Aug. 11, Cortis uploaded their first Instagram video announcing the prerelease of the track 'Go!' As of Tuesday, the group's Instagram account had more than 60 posts and 745,000 followers. 'In the past, agencies focused on promoting via TikTok or YouTube, but now SNS-based new media platforms are being used extensively,' another K-pop agency official said. 'New media environments are ideal for viral marketing. Smaller agencies are also targeting global audiences, so TikTok's influence has grown.' Domestic platforms are joining the mix as well. Kakao Entertainment's Melon launched special promotions for Cortis to engage fans during the group's debut. Melon Magazine released exclusive content tied to the prerelease of the debut EP's main track 'What You Want' on Aug. 18 and plans to again on the official album release date, Sept. 8. The first installment of Melon Magazine featured 'My Profile,' in which members shared MBTI types, nicknames, routines and even childhood dreams ranging from professional athlete to robot scientist. The second installment introduced the members' debut songs visually, using creative illustrations to explore each track. Since June 2023, Melon's 'Hi-Rising' project has supported debut campaigns for K-pop groups such as Zerobaseone, Riize, TWS, Meovv and KiiiKiii, helping artists establish early connections with fans and positioning Melon as a key player in K-pop talent promotion. 'Through exclusive content and events, we provide platforms for debuting artists to meet fans and strengthen platform competitiveness. Agencies and artists can promote new talent effectively without incurring large costs,' Melon official said, Tuesday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store