Explainer: What is Weverse, ‘super app’ joined by Ariana Grande?

Pop star Ariana Grande has announced her debut on Weverse, a superfan platform owned by HYBE (352820.KS), the entertainment company behind K-Pop sensation BTS. Here’s a closer look at what Weverse entails and why it’s attracting more global pop stars.

What is the Weverse app?
Weverse is a specialized platform facilitating direct interaction between artists and their fans. Artists utilize the app to share posts, conduct live streams, and sell merchandise. HYBE characterizes Weverse as a versatile ‘super app’ that includes machine translation capabilities in 15 languages.

When Jin, the eldest member of BTS, addressed fans on Wednesday following the completion of his 18-month military service, his initial livestream experienced technical issues before resuming, eventually amassing over 2 million views in just 10 minutes.

Weverse, launched in 2019, boasted more than 10 million monthly active users on average in the third quarter of 2023, with an international user base comprising nine out of every ten users, according to HYBE.

Why is Ariana Grande joining Weverse?
Grande is set to join the platform after striking a partnership with HYBE America, the entertainment company announced on Friday, though specific details were not disclosed.

Her channel’s launch date remains unconfirmed, with HYBE declining to provide details.

In addition to managing artists like Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI, HYBE America will also collaborate with Grande’s cosmetics brand, R.E.M Beauty, the company announced.

This new partnership follows reports from Billboard last year indicating Grande’s departure from manager Scooter Braun, whom she had been with since her debut in 2013. Braun now serves as the CEO of HYBE America following a $1.05 billion merger deal in 2021 between HYBE and his company, Ithaca Holdings.

The news of Grande’s partnership sparked amusement among online K-Pop fans.
“One fan quipped ‘Ariana unnie’ on X, using a Korean honorific to address her respectfully as an older sister.”
Japanese pop duo Yoasobi, who recently attended a state dinner at the White House with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also launched their channel on Weverse earlier this month.

What does HYBE aim to achieve?
In a 2022 interview with Reuters, Weverse President Joon Choi described the platform’s users as “superfans known for their enthusiastic engagement.”

“In the interview, he explained, ‘They bought merch here, watched videos there, communicated elsewhere … We didn’t have a database of our customers. So, we began developing each service in-house.'”

The app’s expansion coincides with HYBE’s broader strategy to grow as a label, highlighted by its acquisition of Exile Music, a music label under the Spanish language media company Exile Content. This move marks HYBE’s significant entry into the Latin music market.