K-pop idols with the highest-earning YouTube channels, ranked: BTS and Blackpink lead the pack, but how many millions did NCT Dream, Seventeen and IU rake in?

Nov 16 , 2021

Blackpink and BTS are, perhaps unsurprisingly, are on Forbes Korea’s list of celebrities with the highest-earning YouTube channels. Photos: @blackpinkofficial/Instagram, Big Hit Entertainment

With almost 1,000 videos, Seventeen comes in at No 4 with 2.3 billion views on Forbes Korea’s list, while hallyu fans love Aespa’s vlogs and ‘what’s in my bag’ videos

The childhood friend of Blackpink’s Lisa, Got7’s BamBam, is one of two individual artists who grace the list, but what about Mamamoo?

Alongside Instagram and Twitter, YouTube is a major social media platform where we can stream all sorts of content – including videos by our favourite K-pop idols. Many of these stars have their own channels where they vlog about their lives or share exclusive behind-the-scenes clips. And, of course, they earn some extra dough in the process.

In August 2021, Forbes Korea revealed its list of celebrities estimated to have the highest-earning YouTube channels of 2021. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 16 out of 20 celebrities listed are K-pop singers.

Here, we round up the top 10. (All YouTube stats were referenced at the time of writing.) Can you guess who’s on the list, and who had the highest profit this year?

10. Tomorrow X Together (TXT), US$989,000

No 10 on the list is Korean boy band TXT, who shares the same management company as BTS. Photo: Big Hit entertainment

Subscribers: 8.07 million

Videos: 874

Views: 551.4 million

Big Hit Entertainment’s second boy band after BTS, Tomorrow X Together ranked No 10 with an estimated annual earning of 1.1 billion Korean won (around US$989,000).

The boy band debuted in 2019 with five members, and consistently grabs attention from K-pop fans.

They even became the third K-pop group to surpass 10 million followers on TikTok, trailing behind BTS and Blackpink, according to Soompi.

YouTube video player