As we are in the first quarter of 2022, experts have had time to calculate the total revenue of the “Big 4” Korean entertainment companies in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Big 4” includes HYBE Labels, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment.
The combined revenue of these 4 companies has reached a staggering 730.7 billion won ($607 million).
Here’s how much each company made, from lowest to highest revenue, between October and December 2021.
Of the “Big 4” companies, the one that generated the least (but still an extremely impressive) revenue in the final quarter of 2021 was JYP Entertainment.
The total amount that JYP Entertainment earned during this period was 58.4 billion won (US$48.5 million).
Stray Kids became the company’s biggest source of revenue of the year thanks to album sales NOEASY . However, both Twice and ITZY made big contributions.
Going into 2022, the company’s new artists Xdinary Heroes and NMIXX, along with the first team members of SBS ‘s audition show Loud , are expected to bring in high sales.
In third place in terms of highest revenue in the last quarter of 2021 is YG Entertainment.
The total amount that YG Entertainment earned during this period was 77.2 billion won ($64.2 million).
While this is less than the other 2 companies on this list, it’s still impressive, especially considering that the only major product launches in Q4 were by Mino and Kang Seungyoon.
In 2022, it looks like YG Entertainment is planning some products from Treasure, Blackpink and Winner and a new girl group that will definitely bring in revenue.
The company with the second highest revenue in the final quarter of 2021 is SM Entertainment.
The total amount that SM Entertainment earned during this period was 192.7 billion won (US$160.2 million).
The company had some big comebacks this past quarter, specifically from NCT 127, aespa, Kai, and Super Junior D&E. All of which contributed to over 4 million albums sold during that time.
Going into 2022, SM Entertainment is planning to expand their venture into new territories, including NFT (unit of data stored on blockchain).
And finally, the Korean entertainment company with the highest revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 is HYBE Labels.
The total amount earned by HYBE Labels during this period was 402.4 billion won ($334.5 million).
This was the highest earnings quarter of 2021 for the company, mainly due to the album releases of SEVENTEEN and ENHYPEN (which each sold approximately 4.77 million copies).
Thanks to this high number, HYBE Labels is likely to reach the 1 trillion won milestone for total sales in 2021.
The company’s plans for 2022 include BTS’s Permission To Dance On Stage concert in Seoul as well as the launch of Weverse 2.0 and entry into the NFT market.
