SM and SAMG sign deal for K-pop animation series targeting global OTT in 2028

SAMG Entertainment and SM Entertainment signed a joint production contract on the 27th for an animated series titled Super Hero Idol Project (working title).

The project spans 13 episodes of 3D animation, each running roughly 20 minutes, with a global OTT release targeted for 2028. The two companies plan to branch into music, concerts, management, video, and licensing alongside the series itself.

This deal stems from a strategic business agreement signed in February 2025 between SAMG CEO Kim Soo-hoon and SM co-representative Tak Young-jun. Since then, they've worked together on merchandise pairing SAMG's character Tinypingping with SM girl group Hearts2Hearts and other joint ventures. NCT WISH member Jaehee and Hearts2Hearts members Yuha and Yeon contributed vocals to the OST for Love Hachuping: The Legend of the Whale Jewel, which opens August 5.

K-pop animation is booming right now. K-Pop Demon Hunters holds the record as Netflix's most-watched title ever and the first work—film or series—to cross 500 million cumulative views. Netflix pulled in over $1 billion (approximately 1.4 trillion won) from it. The film took home Best Animated Feature and Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. Its theme song "Golden," which features Korean lyrics, sat at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight straight weeks.

The numbers paint a bigger picture. Last year's Korean Wave exports hit $18.975 billion (approximately 28 trillion won), a 16% jump from the year before, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean International Cultural Exchange Foundation's 2025 Korean Wave Ecosystem Research. Music exports surged 84.0%.

HYBE's Darkmoon: The Altar of the Moon, built around ENHYPEN, shows similar momentum. The webtoon launched in 2022 and racked up 200 million cumulative views by July last year. Its anime adaptation, produced by Japan's Aniplex and Troika, hit number one in its time slot for paid broadcast and satellite TV anime when it premiered domestically in January. HYBE reported that global search volume jumped roughly 10 times around the first broadcast.

(The real question: can Super Hero Idol Project match what K-Pop Demon Hunters pulled off?)