Global music phenomenon and K-Pop superstars BTS will star in an all-new YouTube Original series exclusively available on YouTube Red, titled BTS: BURN THE STAGE. Launching on March 28 at 11:00 p.m. Philippine time, this eight-episode series is an intimate eyewitness account of their star-making, sold-out world tour “2017 BTS LIVE TRILOGY EPISODE: THE WINGS TOUR,” taking BTS for 300 days through 20 cities across Asia, South America, and the United States, as well as their meteoric rise on the global stage through the band’s eyes.
Unlike anything released by BTS before, this show is an intimate, personal portrayal dedicated to each other and to their fans across the globe. It celebrates the triumph of their friendship as they overcome hardships together, and shows their growth and hard work as BTS continues on the path to grow into pioneering artists of worldwide renown.
BTS: BURN THE STAGE will appeal to the devoted members of BTS’ global ARMY fanbase as well as music lovers who are relatively new to BTS’ music. The series includes intimate interviews and raw moments with band members in their private quarters backstage or in hotel rooms, as well as never-before-seen footage of key breakthrough moments for the band, such as their historic win of the Top Social Artist award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards and their acclaimed performance at the American Music Awards.
BTS has been active on YouTube since their 2013 debut, and today ranks as YouTube’s biggest K-Pop act, earning 10 billion views to date across official and fan uploads. BTS ranks amongst the top 10 artists on the platform this year (see chart), earning more views in 2017 and 2018 to date than any other K-pop act. Because of YouTube’s global reach the group has become a global phenomenon, with over 87% of their 2017 views across YouTube coming from outside of South Korea, from places like the United States (441 million views), Brazil (317 million views), and Mexico (230 million views).
BTS have broken records across social media for engagements, and YouTube is no exception: they own the record for the most likes on the video release days for DNA (#1) and Mic Drop(#2).
Episodes 1 and 2 will be released on March 28 on BTS’ YouTube channel, Bangtan TV. While episode 1 will be free to watch for all fans on YouTube, episode 2 onward will be available by signing up to YouTube Red, YouTube’s subscription platform. Those from the Philippines can watch through youtube.com/movies. Stay tuned for a new episode coming out every week until May 9.
“We’re thrilled to be working with BTS to launch their groundbreaking documentary on YouTube Red to their worldwide ARMY fans. YouTube has been instrumental in spreading BTS’ music around the world, so today we’re happy that we can be a part of this series’ launch that showcases BTS’ maturation as global phenomena,” said Nadine Zylstra, Head of YouTube Originals, Asia Pacific.
BigHit Entertainment said, “BTS: Burn the Stage is a real-life documentary series where viewers can encounter both fantastic performances of BTS portrayed on the stunning stages of their sold-out world tour, and the more personal side of BTS members in behind-the-scenes moments. We hope the series can convey authenticity of BTS to the world at large as well as to BTS’ dedicated fans.”
YouTube Red is currently available in the U.S., Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico. Fans in many other countries around the world can purchase the series via YouTube transactional video on demand [Link].
Stay tuned for future media alerts ahead of weekly releases of episodes 1 through 8, and follow the buzz on social media with #BTSxYouTubeRed!