BTS is the first to rack up 100 million YouTube views in 24 hours
It’s no longer that uncommon for K-pop stars to smash YouTube viewing records, but BTS just managed to cross an important milestone in the process. YouTube has confirmed to Variety that BTS racked up 101.1 million views for its new “Dynamite” music video in 24 hours, not only breaking Blackpink’s record (86.3 million) but making it the first to cross 100 million views in such a short timeframe. That’s not completely shocking when K-pop stans can be a powerful force, but it’s both a significant number and a big leap over the group’s 74.6 million from a year earlier.
The video also broke a record for the most-watched YouTube premiere with over 3 million simultaneous viewers.
Like with Blackpink’s achievement, this should represent real, organic views. YouTube stopped counting paid ad views toward 24-hour tallies in September 2019, reducing the chances that labels will artificially inflate figures.
This probably won’t end the quest for short-term YouTube domination. Labels like to brag about 24-hour view counts, and there will likely be more ways to drum up hype for a new music video. However, the achievement does show that YouTube still has plenty of room to grow — even if it’s limited to South Korean megastars.
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