In 2025, the official rookie boy group ‘ALPHA DRIVE ONE’ has been born, with the final debut members confirmed as Lee Sang-won, Jo Woo-an, Heo Sin-long, Kim Gun-woo, Zhang Jiahao, Lee Rio, Jung Sang-hyun, and Kim Jun-seo, totaling 8 members.
The final live broadcast of Mnet’s ‘Boys 2 Planet’ aired on the 25th, setting a new record for its highest viewership ratings. The household rating soared to a peak of 1.4%, and it ranked first in the 1539 target viewership and 2049 male and female viewership rankings, proving overwhelming interest.
On the OTT platform TVING, the real-time peak share surpassed 95%, and the real-time unique viewers showed a remarkable growth of 25.5% compared to the previous season. The global live streaming on Mnet Plus also saw an explosive increase of about 6 times compared to the previous week, demonstrating the global viewing enthusiasm.
The interest of global star creators could also be gauged through global SNS platforms. On X (formerly Twitter), a total of 161 keywords ranked from 1st to 50th in worldwide rankings, including the United States and 8 other countries. Additionally, on Weibo, China’s leading SNS platform, the entertainment sector saw the most searched keywords ranking, proving the popularity that continued to grow with each episode.
On that day, the 16 participants were divided into two teams to present ‘Brat Attitude’ and ‘Never Been 2 Heaven’. The killing parts were chosen by Zhang Jiahao and Jo Woo-an, and they all shone in the final journey with the new song ‘How To Fly’.
The final global voting that determined the final debut group involved participation from 223 countries and regions worldwide, with a total of 26,569,300 votes counted from the first and second rounds combined. Notably, in the first round alone, a total of 23,032,255 votes were recorded within a week, showing unprecedented support that was about three times higher than the previous season.
In front of global star creators, the unveiling of the debut group name and the opening of the official YouTube channel and SNS accounts saw a rapid increase in followers, generating explosive reactions.
The catharsis created by the K-pop rush, ‘ALPHA DRIVE ONE’ signifies an official team with the goal, passion, and drive to become the best. The official group ‘ALPHA DRIVE ONE’, born from the support of star creators, is drawing the attention of global K-pop fans for its growth and leap on the world stage.
Meanwhile, ‘Boys 2 Planet’, which first aired on July 17, featured a record number of 160 participants in a survival show, building an infinitely expanding ‘planet worldview’ that goes beyond simple competition and opening a new chapter in K-pop debut survival.
Through a journey of about three months, the friendship and chemistry of these participants, who became strong companions, completed an emotional growth narrative. The heartfelt support from vocal, rap, and dance experts, as well as planet masters, who quietly helped the participants grow, added to the touching moments.
Born under the fervent support of a global fandom, ‘ALPHA DRIVE ONE’ is set to showcase new possibilities and potential of K-pop on stages worldwide for the next 5 years. The story that the 8 boys, selected as the final debut group after a fierce journey, will write together as one team is drawing attention.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
