Weverse, HYBE’s global mega fandom platform boasting 10 million monthly active users from 245 countries and regions, unveiled its highly anticipated '2023 Weverse Fandom Trend’ today. This comprehensive year-end review sheds light on the evolving dynamics of global fandom, highlighting distinct content and trends.
Weverse witnessed a significant surge in new users this year, with Asia–including Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Japan–along with the United States serving as focal points for new user acquisition. Additionally, Weverse experienced impressive user growth rates in Africa (46.8%) and the Middle East (25%).
This year’s report has revealed a noteworthy shift in global fan engagement on an online platform. Fans are now extending their use of the platform beyond community interactions and actively engaging in content sharing, live streams or concert viewing, and direct online purchases.
Consequently, the platform’s usage frequency has seen a boost, with each user spending an average of 250 minutes per month and visiting the platform for an average of 10.2 days per month. This marks a noteworthy 46% and 10.4% increase compared to last year's figures of 171 minutes and 9.2 days, respectively. This upward trend underscores the platform's evolving role in meeting the expanding demands of its global user base consisting of fans and various artists.
Photo Courtesy of Weverse | Click HERE to download high-res images
■ Artist Communities: Uniting Millions Across 245 Countries/Regions
In the span of this year, the number of artists on Weverse surged from 71 to 117. Notably, 11 non-Korean artists joined this year alone and currently, 90% of the artists hail from labels other than HYBE. Serving as the core communication platform between artists and fans, the platform garnered a total of 105 million posts this year. Top trending words were "LOVE," "LIKE," and "HAPPY", emphasizing the platform's prevailing positive atmosphere for fans and artists alike. Notably, BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPEN have amassed the largest followings among artists on Weverse, with BTS alone accumulating an impressive 24 million followers.
Photo Courtesy of Weverse | Click HERE to download high-res images
■ Live Streams and Online Concerts: Connecting Artists and Fans in Real-Time
Weverse emerged as the ultimate platform for fans to stay connected: BTS Jung Kook's unique but candid at-home live stream on February 2nd drew 16 million real-time views, and ENHYPEN’s performance during the 'DARK BLOOD' SPECIAL SHOWCASE on May 22nd garnered 2.4 million real-time views. The platform hosted a total of 4,310 live streams this year, quadrupling last year’s count. With a total cumulation of 3,612 hours worth of Weverse Live content, the platform continued to play a pivotal role in offering fans unparalleled access to the worlds of their favorite artists this year.
Highlighting Weverse's commitment towards global accessibility for all, the platform has also become the virtual destination for fans worldwide to experience immersive concerts when unable to attend in person. A total of 69 online concerts were live-streamed on Weverse, equating to an impressive average 6.3 virtual concerts each month, drawing a virtual audience of 835,470 attendees throughout the year.
Photo Courtesy of Weverse | Click HERE to download high-res images
■ Weverse Shop: Providing Official Merch Hub for All Fans Worldwide
Beyond online community activities and content streaming, Weverse has included e-commerce functionalities within the cohesive online ecosystem to allow fans to shop for their favorite artists’ merch. With the 2023 best-selling item being K-pop icon SEVENTEEN’s Official Light Stick Ver.3, a handheld device used by fans to show support for their favorite artists during concerts and events, Weverse Shop has sold over 18.3 million items this year alone, an average of 7.7 purchases per user.
Fulfilling orders from over 200 countries, Uruguay, situated 19,604km from Seoul, claimed the title of farthest destination of delivered merch from Seoul. The international reach extended to the following seven countries/regions, including Laos, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Angola, Belarus, Bahamas, and Turks & Caicos.
Reflecting on the year’s worth of growth, Joon Choi, President of Weverse Company remarked, "This year has shown us how fans are using our platform for more than just communication but for a wide range of purposes. The fact that the fandom platform is being recognized as the go-to app among various appsis a great indicator of the market’s growth potential."
“We will continue to lead this growth by introducing new services and collectively shaping the fandom culture,” added Choi.
Weverse, HYBE’s global mega fandom platform boasting 10 million monthly active users from 245 countries and regions, unveiled its highly anticipated '2023 Weverse Fandom Trend’ today. This comprehensive year-end review sheds light on the evolving dynamics of global fandom, highlighting distinct content and trends.
Weverse witnessed a significant surge in new users this year, with Asia–including Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Japan–along with the United States serving as focal points for new user acquisition. Additionally, Weverse experienced impressive user growth rates in Africa (46.8%) and the Middle East (25%).
This year’s report has revealed a noteworthy shift in global fan engagement on an online platform. Fans are now extending their use of the platform beyond community interactions and actively engaging in content sharing, live streams or concert viewing, and direct online purchases.
Consequently, the platform’s usage frequency has seen a boost, with each user spending an average of 250 minutes per month and visiting the platform for an average of 10.2 days per month. This marks a noteworthy 46% and 10.4% increase compared to last year's figures of 171 minutes and 9.2 days, respectively. This upward trend underscores the platform's evolving role in meeting the expanding demands of its global user base consisting of fans and various artists.
Photo Courtesy of Weverse | Click HERE to download high-res images
■ Artist Communities: Uniting Millions Across 245 Countries/Regions
In the span of this year, the number of artists on Weverse surged from 71 to 117. Notably, 11 non-Korean artists joined this year alone and currently, 90% of the artists hail from labels other than HYBE. Serving as the core communication platform between artists and fans, the platform garnered a total of 105 million posts this year. Top trending words were "LOVE," "LIKE," and "HAPPY", emphasizing the platform's prevailing positive atmosphere for fans and artists alike. Notably, BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPEN have amassed the largest followings among artists on Weverse, with BTS alone accumulating an impressive 24 million followers.
Photo Courtesy of Weverse | Click HERE to download high-res images
■ Live Streams and Online Concerts: Connecting Artists and Fans in Real-Time
Weverse emerged as the ultimate platform for fans to stay connected: BTS Jung Kook's unique but candid at-home live stream on February 2nd drew 16 million real-time views, and ENHYPEN’s performance during the 'DARK BLOOD' SPECIAL SHOWCASE on May 22nd garnered 2.4 million real-time views. The platform hosted a total of 4,310 live streams this year, quadrupling last year’s count. With a total cumulation of 3,612 hours worth of Weverse Live content, the platform continued to play a pivotal role in offering fans unparalleled access to the worlds of their favorite artists this year.
Highlighting Weverse's commitment towards global accessibility for all, the platform has also become the virtual destination for fans worldwide to experience immersive concerts when unable to attend in person. A total of 69 online concerts were live-streamed on Weverse, equating to an impressive average 6.3 virtual concerts each month, drawing a virtual audience of 835,470 attendees throughout the year.
Photo Courtesy of Weverse | Click HERE to download high-res images
■ Weverse Shop: Providing Official Merch Hub for All Fans Worldwide
Beyond online community activities and content streaming, Weverse has included e-commerce functionalities within the cohesive online ecosystem to allow fans to shop for their favorite artists’ merch. With the 2023 best-selling item being K-pop icon SEVENTEEN’s Official Light Stick Ver.3, a handheld device used by fans to show support for their favorite artists during concerts and events, Weverse Shop has sold over 18.3 million items this year alone, an average of 7.7 purchases per user.
Fulfilling orders from over 200 countries, Uruguay, situated 19,604km from Seoul, claimed the title of farthest destination of delivered merch from Seoul. The international reach extended to the following seven countries/regions, including Laos, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Angola, Belarus, Bahamas, and Turks & Caicos.
Reflecting on the year’s worth of growth, Joon Choi, President of Weverse Company remarked, "This year has shown us how fans are using our platform for more than just communication but for a wide range of purposes. The fact that the fandom platform is being recognized as the go-to app among various appsis a great indicator of the market’s growth potential."
“We will continue to lead this growth by introducing new services and collectively shaping the fandom culture,” added Choi.