K-pop agency SM, China’s Tencent Music launch joint venture to develop new Chinese idol group
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A dance trainer at SM Entertainment’s subsidiary training academy’s five-day programme in Singapore in June 2025.
PHOTO: ST FILE
- SM Entertainment and Tencent Music have formed a joint venture named STE in Beijing to develop a new Chinese idol group.
- Zhoumi, a member of Super Junior-M, is appointed CEO to lead auditions, local management, and regional promotion of SM artistes in Greater China.
- The new idol group is expected to debut within two to three years, aiming to blend SM's content expertise with the Greater China market.
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SEOUL - South Korean K-pop agency SM Entertainment has established a joint venture with Tencent Music Entertainment Group in China, setting the stage for the joint development of a new idol group targeting the Chinese market.
SM said on Aug 27 that the new company, named STE, has been established in Beijing, with Super Junior-M boy band member Zhoumi appointed as its chief executive officer.
The formation of STE follows a memorandum of understanding signed by SM and Tencent Music in May to strengthen cooperation between the two entertainment companies.
One of the joint venture’s first major projects will be the development of a new Chinese idol group, with preparations already under way.
The group is expected to make its debut within the next two to three years.
STE will oversee auditions and artiste casting for the project and will take charge of the group’s local management in China following its debut.
The company will also expand its role in managing SM artistes active in the Greater China region.
STE is set to oversee the regional management of Chinese SM artists, including Renjun of boy band NCT Dream, and Yangyang and Xiaojun of WayV, providing localised promotions and support for their entertainment activities.
Zhoumi’s appointment as CEO brings together his experience as both an artiste and an entertainment industry executive, according to SM.
The Chinese singer has spent nearly two decades working in the K-pop industry as a member of Super Junior-M and as a solo artiste.
He has also served as a director at SM’s Chinese subsidiary, giving him experience in both entertainment management and the local market.
“By fully combining SM’s unique strengths in IP (intellectual property) and content production with the characteristics of the Greater China market, we will present differentiated content and generate meaningful results by serving as a bridge between the two companies,” said Zhoumi in a press release issued by SM Entertainment. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
