BTS once again proved their global reach—but behind the scenes, not everything went as planned.
Netflix’s BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG, streamed live to 190 countries, drew a massive audience of 18.4 million viewers on March 21st. Despite the strong turnout, the platform was ultimately unable to secure corporate sponsorships for the event after discussions with several major companies fell through.
According to industry sources, Netflix had been in talks with multiple domestic and international corporations ahead of the broadcast. One insider shared, “Netflix discussed sponsorship with a Korean national airline, but the deal fell apart at the final stage.”
In addition to the airline, Netflix also approached a global credit card company and a major internet firm known for its search services, but those talks did not lead to agreements. The proposed sponsorship deals were reportedly worth hundreds of billions of KRW.
While Netflix typically avoids ads and sponsorships in its original content, there have been exceptions. For example, Squid Game 2 previously collaborated with Kia as part of a marketing partnership.
For the BTS live event, Netflix is said to have made a significant investment—covering large-scale production costs while also guaranteeing intellectual property rights to HYBE. A Netflix representative confirmed, “It’s true that we held discussions with both domestic and international companies regarding the BTS performance. However, we cannot disclose details of any potential agreements.”
Even with the sponsorship setback, the event delivered impressive global numbers. The 18.4 million viewers helped reaffirm BTS’s worldwide popularity, though it fell short of earlier projections that expected tens of millions of viewers.
According to Netflix, the broadcast also recorded 13.1 million weekly views, making it the most-watched non-English TV content for the week of March 16th–22nd. It ranked No. 1 in 24 countries.
Timing may have played a role in limiting live viewership. The concert aired at 8 PM KST, which translates to 7 AM on the U.S. East Coast and 4 AM on the West Coast—far from peak viewing hours. In Western Europe, including London (12 PM) and Paris (1 PM), the broadcast also fell during busy daytime weekend hours.
Still, the numbers underscore BTS’s enduring global influence, even under less-than-ideal conditions.
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