BTS Shatters YouTube Record With 101 Million Views In 24 Hours

It seems that not even the pandemic is enough to take away the power of the almighty K-Pop. Or perhaps it's exactly because of current world affairs that more people have ventured to discover new kinds of entertainment. Regardless of the underlying cause, the fact remains that hit Korean boy group BTS just made a world record by amassing over a hundred million views on YouTube within 24 hours of the release of its latest single, "Dynamite".

It might be easy to downplay and scoff at view statistics but even YouTube has records that tempt brands and personalities, particularly in the music industry, to reach. The gold standard that the video hosting and streaming site has been the number of views within 24 hours of a video's publishing. It probably shouldn't be a surprise that K-Pop groups have dominated those charts.

BTS itself once held the record, getting 74.6 million views in April last year. The previous titleholder, however, was Black Pink with its "How You Like That", racking up 86.3 million views in 24 hours. According to Variety's YouTube contact, BTS' "Dynamite " grabbed 101.1 million views within that period, a 15 million lead.

"Dynamite" seemed specifically engineered generate curiosity and, therefore, engagement and views. It is the group's first song written entirely and primarily in English. It was also launched on YouTube at an unconventional time by Korean entertainment standards. Both elements aimed to expand the music video's global reach and that gamble seems to have paid off.

BTS' YouTube success couldn't have come at a better time, with the majority of the world's entertainment is being delivered and consumed over the Internet. Whether "Dynamite" would have achieved that record in some other alternate COVID-19-free reality will, of course, simply be a matter of conjecture. There might be other hits that will follow this new trend but, at least for now, the BTS Army can bask in the glow of their achievement.