M! Countdown Undergoes Major Changes — Here’s How Idols Might Get Affected

Mnet’s leading music broadcasting show, M! Countdown, announced some major changes in all its aspects on January 10.

(From L to R) RIIZE’s Sohee, BOYNEXTDOOR’s Jaehyun, and ZEROBASEONE’s Sung Hanbin, the three new MCs of “M! Countdown.”

With the goal of appealing to K-Pop fans better and in a more relevant way, the show will be reorganizing its charting system, among other things, to get along with the trends of 2024. The existing weekly chart will be modified to reflect current music trends better by taking social media indicators such as short-form video usage into account. Additionally, the renewed charting system, Mnet claimed, will put equal weightage on the domestic and overseas popularity of the K-Pop market based on streaming parameters.

The existing M! Countdown rankings already take social media points into account (10%) but only from official YouTube music video views. With the additional weightage on short-form content, a song’s “viral factor” will expectedly contribute to the charts from now on. On the other hand, with streaming indicators considered, the global popularity of idols would probably come in handy.

The older charting system | *txtvotingcrew.com*

In addition to these changes, M! Countdown will introduce some new content segments in keeping with the current trend of K-Pop. Apart from introducing audiences to new music, the show will also highlight a variety of eye-catching content, including trending performances or pictures. The show will also prepare a chart that includes entertainment elements related to popular topics that fans might be curious about.

The nature of idol-audience interaction at the show is also expected to undergo a significant change. The physical space for fans to communicate with idols will be expanded from the studio to the external lobby. Mnet said it plans to hold events like comeback interviews and mini-fan meetings in those spaces. Additionally, new audience seating will be added on the second floor to allow more people to attend the show.

Finally, the iconic M! Countdown logo itself has undergone a makeover, and the new logo will be in use starting January 11, KST.