CJ ENM, one of South Korea's most influential entertainment and media companies, announced that its global K-pop content platform Mnet Plus has achieved remarkable growth, surpassing 40 million cumulative app users and attracting more than 20 million monthly active users. These impressive milestones were reached within just three years since the platform's launch in 2022.
Mnet Plus operates as a comprehensive mobile-based platform that uniquely combines streaming, fandom engagement, and commerce into a single integrated ecosystem. The platform allows global fans to access CJ ENM's original variety programs, watch music shows from the company's music broadcaster Mnet, livestream major events including KCON and the MAMA Awards, participate in fan voting, complete various in-app missions, and collect digital merchandise. The platform competes in the same market space as other popular services like Weverse, DearU Bubble, and Fromm.
"Mnet Plus is more than a streaming service. It's a space where global fans take the initiative to shape their own K-pop experience," explained Kim Ji-won, senior vice president of Mnet Plus, during CJ ENM's Culture Talk session held at the company's headquarters in Seoul's Mapo District. Kim emphasized that the platform represents a fundamental shift in how fans engage with K-pop content.
The platform has experienced particularly strong adoption among younger demographics, with approximately 80 percent of its user traffic now originating from international markets. Key overseas markets include the United States, China, Japan, and Indonesia, demonstrating the global appeal of K-pop content. The platform's rapid growth has been fueled by exclusive content featuring top K-pop acts and original variety programs such as the horror survival reality show "SUMBAKKOKJIL."
The defining feature of Mnet Plus is what Kim describes as its "fanteractive" model – a creative combination of "fan" and "interactive" that establishes an interactive fan ecosystem extending far beyond passive content consumption. Through in-app voting systems and interactive missions, users can directly influence the outcomes of Mnet's music shows and survival programs, effectively transforming fans from mere spectators into active stakeholders who help shape the K-pop landscape.
"Our goal for the app is to build an integrated 'fanteractive' platform that connects content, fandom and artists, redefining how global audiences engage with K-pop," Kim stated. "We aim to shift the K-pop experience from simple viewing to active participation." This approach represents a significant evolution in how entertainment platforms engage their audiences.
The platform's success in fostering fan participation was dramatically demonstrated during the live finale of "Boys II Planet," Mnet's latest global boy-band survival reality show. The finale attracted more than 3.5 million votes in a single day, with voting activity peaking at over 70,000 votes per second. Similarly, the 2024 MAMA Awards generated more than 70 million votes through the platform, highlighting the extraordinary level of fan engagement that Mnet Plus has achieved.
Looking toward the future, CJ ENM revealed ambitious plans for expanding Mnet Plus with significant updates scheduled for release next year. The company announced plans to quadruple the amount of original and exclusive programming available on the platform, though specific program titles have not yet been disclosed. Additional enhancements will include improved global livestreaming capabilities and new integrated commerce and community features designed to further enhance user engagement.
To broaden its accessibility and reach even more users worldwide, CJ ENM plans to introduce an ad-supported free viewing model while simultaneously expanding premium content options for paying subscribers. This dual approach aims to accommodate users with different preferences and financial situations while maintaining revenue streams.
Cha Woo-jin, a prominent culture critic and founder of K-Culture Lab, provided additional perspective during the conference, emphasizing the broader cultural impact of content-driven platforms. "Unlike fandom apps built solely around artists, platforms built around content can go as far as creating culture itself," Cha observed. "Content-driven platforms aren't just expanding K-pop's reach. They're now becoming the engines that shape its future." This observation underscores how platforms like Mnet Plus are not merely distributing existing culture but actively participating in its creation and evolution.
