Big Hit, the agency of K-pop supergroup BTS, is rebranding as HYBE, a new ‘entertainment lifestyle platform’

By Michael Grothaus

The entertainment company that brought the world the teen idol K-pop sensation BTS has announced a major rebranding. Formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, the company will now be known as HYBE going forward. In a press release, the company said the name change represented its drive to become a “music-based entertainment lifestyle company.

Though Big Hit has been around since 2005, it’s only in recent years that the brand became a recognizable name outside of South Korea. That’s wholly due to the global sensation of BTS, which Big Hit signed in 2013. Since then the band has smashed record after record and generated millions of online fans colloquially referred to as the BTS Army. As a matter of fact, the band is so popular, some estimates peg the band alone as worth $4.65 billion to South Korea’s economy annually.

Though Big Hit is changing its name to HYBE, the Big Hit brand itself will live on as a new label called Big Hit Music. BTS’s fans have apparently reacted positively to the rebranding, which has been slightly overshadowed by their attention to the news that HYBE is also moving into a new corporate HQ. As the company notes in the press release:

The new building introduced a “mobile rack” structure that can easily move walls to transform office space depending on the use, and an autonomous seating system that allows people to reserve and use desired seats through an app, establishing a practical and free working environment.

In addition, three-story interior stairs, the lounge, libraries, and gyms are built with magnificent outside views for fluid communication and refreshment, while the auditorium “Forum” and public garden “Comb” located on the 19th floor are designed to lead flexible thinking and communication as open workplaces and rest areas.

Given that the BTS Army has a penchant for highjacking Twitter hashtags and making their approval or displeasure widely known, HYBE can rest easy knowing the announced changes have sat well with them (BTS Army—let me point out that Fast Company named Big Hit Entertainment as one of the Most Innovative Companies back in 2020).

Big Hit Entertainment will officially transition to its new HYBE name on March 30.

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