Hana Securities announced that the entertainment industry is expected to record its highest-ever performance in 2026. This is because BTS and Big Bang are anticipated to resume activities simultaneously. Researcher Lee Ki-hoon of Hana Securities conveyed this opinion in a report on the 10th.

The researcher explained, "Except for 2024, when BTS had a military service hiatus, the K-pop industry has grown every year," adding, "In 2026, BTS will resume full-group activities." He projected that BTS would generate sales comparable to the combined revenue of YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.

He also mentioned high expectations for the possibility of Big Bang resuming full-group activities to mark their 20th debut anniversary. He stated, "Considering that YG Entertainment's revenue was about 360 billion KRW in 2024 without Blackpink's full-group activities, Big Bang's tour resumption is expected to generate similar sales."

Researcher Lee analyzed that the resumption of activities by BTS and Big Bang would have a positive impact on the entire K-pop industry. He advised, "If the two groups resume activities simultaneously, it is a natural flow for the entire K-pop industry to achieve record-breaking performance," and added, "Until the full results are confirmed, a continuous strategy of increasing weight is effective."

However, the recent stock prices of entertainment companies have been sluggish. The researcher explained, "Stock prices have been weak due to the lack of performance upgrade triggers such as large-scale world tours by Stray Kids and Blackpink." He added, "Ultimately, the momentum to wait for is the announcement of the BTS tour," and said, "The announcement of the tour plan will lead to upward revisions of performance estimates and stock price increases."

Hana Securities argued that the weighting should be increased until HYBE's market capitalization reaches 15 trillion KRW. Currently, HYBE's market capitalization is 11.1419 trillion KRW. Reflecting expectations for Big Bang's full-group activities, YG Entertainment's target stock price was raised to 145,000 KRW. On the previous trading day, YG Entertainment's closing price was 97,800 KRW.

The third-quarter performance of YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment is expected to meet expectations. However, HYBE's performance is anticipated to fall short of consensus (the average estimate by securities firms). This is because production costs are expected to exceed 30 billion KRW due to the debut of KOTIS, a Latin band, and a boy group.

According to Hana Securities' analysis, the growth of the entertainment industry heavily depends on the global popularity of K-pop. The resumption of activities by BTS and Big Bang is expected to further strengthen this global popularity. The continuous growth of K-pop is likely to have a positive impact on the overall Korean economy.

In conclusion, Hana Securities recommends increasing the weighting of entertainment stocks and is paying close attention to the impact that the future activities of BTS and Big Bang will have on the K-pop industry.