Tonight marks the highly anticipated debut of the 2025 Planet rookie boy group. Following in the footsteps of Kang Daniel, the winner of Mnet's 'Produce 101 Season 2' in 2017, and Zhang Hao from 'Boys Planet' Season 1 in 2023, the spotlight is on who will emerge victorious in this latest Mnet survival show.
Since its premiere on July 17, Mnet's 'BOYS II PLANET' has captivated audiences with a record-breaking 160 contestants, establishing a new chapter in K-POP debut survival shows by expanding the 'Planet Universe' beyond mere competition. Today, on the 25th, the final debut lineup will be confirmed through votes from global star creators, reflecting on the achievements and journey of the participants over the past 70 days.
'BOYS II PLANET' has been a sensation since its first broadcast, capturing the attention of global star creators. The show achieved a peak viewership rating of 2.4% among women aged 10-20, consistently ranking first across all channels during its time slot, including terrestrial networks, according to AGB Nielsen's metropolitan paid household data. It also garnered significant interest from women in their 30s and 40s and teenage males, maintaining its position as the leading boy group survival show. The global platform viewership was equally impressive.
TVING consistently ranked first in real-time UV for each episode, and Mnet Plus's global streaming views from 251 countries and regions showed a steady increase, proving its global appeal. The show topped the K-POP category on Japan's leading OTT platform 'ABEMA' and the entertainment section on 'iQIYI International,' showcasing its 'world-scale' status across Asia, Europe, and South America.
The global buzz around 'BOYS II PLANET' was palpable, with fans worldwide actively participating in the voting process, which ultimately decides the debut lineup. The program's popularity was further evidenced by its nine-week streak at the top of the TV-OTT non-drama category in Good Data Corporation's FUNdex, solidifying its status as the hottest show currently.
International media outlets have also taken notice, with extensive coverage from major Chinese platforms like Sina News, Sohu Entertainment, Tencent, and Phoenix Network, as well as Japanese outlets such as Oricon, Natalie, and Real Sound. Even the American business magazine Forbes has highlighted the show's impact.
The show's global influence extends to social media, with the official 'BOYS II PLANET' SNS channel surpassing 2.2 million followers. Interest in the contestants was evident even before the show aired. On X (formerly Twitter), the show dominated worldwide trends and ranked high in countries like Korea, Japan, the Philippines, the United States, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. It also trended on Chinese platforms like Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Bilibili.
The performance video for the signal song 'OLLA' has nearly 7.5 million views, while the 'Whiplash' team video from the first competition round surpassed 5.8 million views. Individual contestant videos quickly exceeded 1 million views upon release, generating significant buzz. The behind-the-scenes series showcasing the training process and chemistry among participants further engaged the global fandom, with cumulative digital views across platforms like YouTube and TikTok nearing 900 million.
The debut lineup for 'BOYS II PLANET' will be revealed tonight. Fans eagerly await to see how many contestants will achieve their dream of debuting and becoming the official rookie boy group of 2025 Planet. The final stage will be broadcast live tonight at 8 PM.
Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr