As expected, South Korean entertainment giant HYBE has established its India-based subsidiary in Mumbai, marking the firm’s fifth international headquarters.
The Mumbai office joins HYBE’s other global headquarters in Japan, America, Latin America, and China. It positions HYBE within India’s entertainment capital, home to the Bollywood film industry.
The launch comes just five months after HYBE set up a subsidiary in China, the world’s fifth-largest recorded music market.
The move comes as HYBE seeks to develop region-specific content and capitalize on India’s growing music streaming market.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (September 23), HYBE said: “With approximately 185 million users, India’s music streaming market is the second-largest in the world, making it the perfect market to implement our growth strategy.
“With approximately 185 million users, India’s music streaming market is the second-largest in the world, making it the perfect market to implement our growth strategy.”
HYBE
The company added: “The remarkable rise of K-pop in India highlights the country’s potential as a major market, and we are excited to expand our presence.”
The India-based operation will implement HYBE’s artist training and development (T&D) system, conducting auditions and training programs adapted for local talent.
The subsidiary plans to discover Indian artists and connect them with international audiences through HYBE’s existing distribution network.
HYBE says the launch of HYBE India is part of what it calls its “multi-home, multi-genre” strategy, which the company says “aims to lead local markets by developing businesses that reflect regional cultures and characteristics.”
The launch comes less than three months after HYBE confirmed plans to expand in India in the second half of the year. A HYBE spokesperson told MBW at the time that the move is part of Chairman Bang Si-hyuk‘s “vision to export K-Pop methodologies”.
HYBE’s spokesperson said on July 1: “Our strategic expansion into India is driven by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s vision to export K-Pop methodologies, aligning with his conviction that the K-Pop business model must be adapted to other genres for sustained growth.”
As MBW previously noted, the expansion into India is a significant growth opportunity for HYBE.
India is the most populous country in the world, with more than 1.42 billion people, according to the US Census Bureau. It is also the world’s 15th largest recorded music market by annual revenues, according to data from the IFPI.
The company’s expansion into India comes as Bang Si-hyuk predicted that “the strategy of securing a foothold in the world’s major music markets and applying this methodology is producing results, and if the current trend continues, the landscape of the global music market dominated by the Big 3 global companies will change significantly,” according to a statement cited by Maeil Business Newspaper.
Bang’s vision of globalizing K-pop has led to the launch of the girl group KATSEYE in the US last year through HYBE’s partnership with Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records.
KATSEYE, which includes Indian-American member Lara Raj, recently won the MTV Push Performance of the Year Award for their song Touch at the 2025 MTV VMAs. They performed their hit song Gnarly during the awards show.
HYBE and Geffen are currently holding auditions for “The Final Piece” of a new girl group after KATSEYE’s success. It was recently revealed that three contestants from their 2023 Dream Academy competition, which produced KATSEYE, will join the new girl group.
Earlier this month, HYBE Latin America’s music incubator Medellín Music Lab, based in the city of Medellín in Colombia, auditioned over 400 aspiring artists and professionals. The contestants will be narrowed down to 160, who will then advance to creative camps and the program’s music incubator.
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