In 2025 the Planet official rookie boy group "ALPHA DRIVE ONE" was formed, and the final debut members were confirmed as △Lee Sang-won, △Jo Ouanxin, △Heo Xinlong, △Kim Gun-woo, △Zhang Ziahao, △Lee Rio, △Jung Sang-hyun, △Kim Jun-seo, eight members.
The final live broadcast of Mnet's Boys II Planet (BOYS II PLANET, directed by Kim Shin-young, Jung Woo-young, Go Jeong-gyeong) aired on the 25th renewed its own highest viewership as it crowned the final finale. Household ratings rose to a high of 1.4%, and it ranked first in 15-39 target ratings and 20-49 male and female ratings, proving overwhelming interest. On OTT platform TVING it surpassed a real-time peak share of 95%, and real-time UV also showed growth, rising by 25.5% compared with last season. Global live streaming on Mnet Plus, broadcast worldwide, also increased about sixfold from the previous week, showing explosive global viewing enthusiasm.
The interest of global star creators could also be gauged through global SNS platforms. On X (formerly Twitter) it achieved a feat with 161 keywords charting from 1 to 50 in nine countries including the United States as well as on the worldwide ranking. In addition, China's leading SNS platform Weibo also ranked the most searched terms in the entertainment institutional sector, proving popularity that continued over episodes.
That day the 16 contestants were divided into two teams and performed "Brat Attitude" and "Never Been 2 Heaven." The killing parts were chosen as Zhang Ziahao and Jo Ouanxin respectively, and everyone together shone their final journey with the new song "How To Fly." The final global vote to determine the debut lineup saw participation from 223 countries and regions worldwide, and a total of 26,569,300 votes were counted across rounds 1 and 2. In particular, round 1 recorded a total accumulated 23,032,255 votes in one week, approximately three times higher than last season, showing unprecedented support.
In front of global star creators watching worldwide, the debut group's name was revealed and the official YouTube channel and SNS account opened, quickly gaining followers and showing an explosive reaction. The catharsis created by the K-pop sprint, "ALPHA DRIVE ONE," means one official team with the goal, passion and drive to become the best. With the support of star creators, the official Boys II Planet group "ALPHA DRIVE ONE" is drawing global K-pop fans' expectations for the growth and leap it will show on the world stage.
Meanwhile, Mnet's Boys II Planet, which first aired on Jul. 17, featured a record-breaking 160 contestants challenging the survival format, building an ever-expanding "Planet world" beyond simple competition and opening a new chapter in K-pop debut survival shows. Through about three months of journeys, the friendships and chemistry that became strong companions completed a moving growth narrative. The sincere support of vocal, rap and dance expert masters and Planet masters, who had silently helped the contestants' growth, added to the emotion.
The achievements were as remarkable as the journey. With the full support of female viewers aged 10 to 29, it ranked first across all channels in the same time slot including terrestrial broadcasters, and viewing enthusiasm through global platforms was intense. It never lost the No. 1 spot in TVING real-time UV even once, and Mnet Plus real-time streaming views from 251 countries and regions worldwide continued to rise each episode compared with the previous week. It ranked No. 1 in the K-pop category on Japan's leading OTT platform ABEMA and No. 1 in the variety institutional sector on iQIYI International, confirming its world-scale status across global OTT platforms from across Asia to Europe and Latin America.
Its global influence was also remarkable. Boys II Planet secured the top spot for nine consecutive weeks in the TV-OTT non-drama institutional sector buzz rankings released by Good Data Corporation's FUNdex, proving it is currently the hottest program. Major overseas media including the U.S. business publication Forbes and outlets in China and Japan reported on it daily, and official SNS followers easily exceeded 2.2 million. Combined digital cumulative views including YouTube and TikTok are approaching 900 million views.
Meanwhile, "ALPHA DRIVE ONE," born under the passionate support of global fandom, is expected to show new possibilities and resilience of K-pop on the world stage for the next five years. Attention is focused on the story the eight boys selected as the final debut lineup after a fierce debut journey will write together as a team.
[Photo] Mnet "Boys II Planet"
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