From K-Pop Idols to Esports Pros: bemyfriends Unveils Diverse Global Fandom Partnerships

From K-Pop Idols to Esports Pros: bemyfriends Unveils Diverse Global Fandom Partnerships

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The Korea-based global fandom business, ‘bemyfriends‘, hosted its media day themed ‘2024 b.stage Media Day: Everything About Fandom Business’.

Bemyfriends, which manages everything from content to community building, global e-commerce, live streaming, and real-time interactive communication through ‘b.stage’, offers a total solution for fandom business including IP business and consulting. At its inaugural media day, bemyfriends disclosed data and cases, showcasing its activities, achievements, and global capabilities over the past three years.

In the first presentation, Co-CEO Lee Ki-young discussed the achievements of aggressively securing clients and expanding the realm of fandom business under the theme ‘b.stage, 3 Years of Global Fandom Business Achievements and the Future’. According to Lee, fans from 224 countries around the world have visited b.stage, and 155 of these countries have utilized b.stage for a variety of fandom-related planning products and digital services.

The accumulated page views (PV) of the fandom platforms built by b.stage’s clients have surpassed 180 million, proving b.stage’s role as a communication channel between global fans and artists. Lee also mentioned that there are more than 100 customer cases of fandom platforms built through b.stage. Over 41% of clients have actively entered revenue generation by utilizing membership or e-commerce features on b.stage. The proportion of e-commerce and logistics operation contracts made through b.stage has increased by more than 900%.

Lee stated, “With the belief that ‘everyone is a fan of something’, we have promoted the influence of fandom worldwide with clients in various fields such as K-POP, e-sports, creators, entertainment, and culture & arts. Over the past three years, we have expanded customer success stories and proved the global business viability of b.stage, demonstrating that it is the optimal partner for global fandom business.”

Bae Sang-hoon, CSO and representative of the Japanese branch, presented ‘Successful Fandom Business with b.stage’, introducing various customer success stories and the 2024 fandom trends according to b.stage data. Bae highlighted that b.stage was designed with the global market in mind from the start, and thanks to efforts such as support for five languages and a payment and delivery system built for over 210 countries worldwide, it has successfully led to the acquisition of successful global fandoms for its clients.

Particularly, Bae emphasized how premier e-sports teams like T1, Dplus Kia, KT Rolster, and DRX have actively engaged with their global fandom through b.stage, providing sophisticated fandom experiences by connecting online and offline activities, such as ‘in-person pickup’. Bae also mentioned that a wide range of K-POP artists, from first-generation idols to upcoming fifth-generation idols, are utilizing b.stage, indicating that b.stage is leading the market with services specialized for the K-POP industry by building fandom hubs on b.stage even before debut to gather global fandom.

Bae added, “As a total solution for fandom business, b.stage offers services that encompass both online and offline for our clients. Recently, a pop-up store held by AB6IX in Seongsu-dong was successfully completed, with b.stage taking charge of the planning and operation.” He also highlighted b.stage’s active support in forming fandoms for content IPs, stating, “Content IPs like Levante, Fortena, and Crezle from ‘Phantom Singer 4’ have successfully built their fandoms based on b.stage’s fandom business expertise.”

Co-CEO Seo Woo-seok presented on the topic ‘b.stage, a Partner for Successful Global Fandom Business’. Seo stated, “The 100+ IPs that have partnered with b.stage represent only 5% of the total sales leads we are currently managing,” and predicted that “within three years, the proportion of b.stage’s global clients could grow to 50%.” Seo emphasized the expansion of b.stage’s business outcomes through localized IT solutions and infrastructure, mentioning the recent establishment of a Japanese branch to accelerate business in Japan targeting J-POP artists, celebrities, and Korean rookies wishing to enter Japan. In the United States, the strategy involves expanding the market through platform integration via agent-based sales leads, with b.stage’s enhanced capabilities in branding, hub platform, and data solutions expected to facilitate growth through cooperation with major labels.

Moreover, following its U.S. expansion last year, b.stage entered the Japanese market this January, accelerating the expansion of its global fandom business.

B.stage also recently launched ‘datalabs’ to support the efficient operation and growth of its clients’ fandom businesses. Datalabs enables the planning and production of customized content based on the tastes and characteristics of the fandoms active on b.stage, assisting in efficient e-commerce operations, marketing, and promotional use through data.

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