"If 2025 was a year of 'investment' that laid the strategic foundation of HYBE 2.0, 2026 will be the beginning of 'realization' when those results begin to become visible."
HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang said this in his New Year's remarks on the 2nd, suggesting that this year will be a turning point when the HYBE 2.0 strategy begins to produce tangible results. Lee said, "For us, 2025 was a period of strategic investments and consolidation to strengthen the company's sustainable growth capabilities," and added, "This year will be one in which we show the market that bold, preemptive investments were the right direction and that the arduous time of strengthening our structure was worthwhile."
He then presented five tasks that all members must work together to achieve this year: ▲ verify the business viability of new businesses and IP ▲ establish IP sustainability and expand the fan base through "uncharted innovation" ▲ design new experience models based on scarcity ▲ secure leadership in an AI-based prosumer market ▲ realize true global governance.
First, Lee said it is necessary to prove the rationale for investments in new businesses and artist IPs where preemptive investment has been made. He said, "Significant traffic expansion has been confirmed so far, and now by moving into a stage of effective revenue generation, we must be able to ensure sustainable business viability," adding, "When investments manifest as results, new investments gain legitimacy and a virtuous cycle of growth is established."
He went on to say, "The essence of HYBE's business is to achieve preemptive innovation through the convergence of content and technology based on music and artist core IPs, and to offer fans immersive experiences in new ways," and added, "This means laying the foundation for HYBE artists to exist as unique IPs with the highest level of completeness and sustainability even amid environmental changes."
He also emphasized the need to design new experience models based on scarcity. Lee said, "Scarcity is an important factor that can enhance the added value of fandom business and fan experiences," and added, "2026 will be an important year in which HYBE, as it did in the past, will design and test scarcity-based integrated online-offline experience models to innovate future music fandom business models."
He said it is also important to secure leadership in the prosumer market where fans and users directly produce and exchange content. Lee said, "An integrated and concrete response model is needed from both creative and platform perspectives," and explained, "By establishing a fan-to-fan model that allows fans to freely create and communicate while proactively protecting the value of IP, we can set the market standard."
On future global strategy, he said, "We will build an integrated governance that organically shares key assets and know-how such as resources, personnel and content distribution among global subsidiaries to increase examples of cross-border projects and realize true global synergy."
Finally, Lee said, "HYBE's growth philosophy is clear: to create top-tier IP, lead the fandom business, and then expand those achievements into new markets and genres," and he urged, "The protagonists to lead this journey are all of us. I hope each HYBE member becomes a 'subject and partner of growth.'"
[Photo] Provided by HYBE.
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