[Provided by Kakao Entertainment]
[Provided by Kakao Entertainment]

China's largest music awards show will introduce new categories tied to South Korea's homegrown streaming platform Melon.

Kakao Entertainment announced Monday that it has established two Melon-linked award categories at the 2026 TMElive International Music Awards (2026 TIMA), hosted by Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME). The ceremony runs Aug. 22-23 at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.

At the heart of the partnership is what Kakao Entertainment calls "K-pop data standardization" — an effort to link the music markets of South Korea, China and Japan under a single framework. The newly created Global-K Artist category will be decided by combining data from the Global-K Chart, which Kakao Entertainment launched in June, weighted at 30 percent, with fan votes accounting for the remaining 70 percent.

The Global-K Chart aggregates streaming usage and fandom activity metrics from three leading East Asian platforms: Melon in South Korea, Tencent Music in China and Line Music in Japan. It consolidates fragmented K-pop consumption data from major Asian markets into a single unified index, which will now serve as a core evaluation criterion at a global awards show. The collaboration with TME — a dominant platform in a market long difficult to enter due to local regulations and distribution barriers — gives K-pop a legitimate channel to expand its reach in China.

The two new award categories are the Global-K Artist and the Melon Music Choice.

The Global-K Artist award will be determined by combining Global-K Chart data at 30 percent and fan votes at 70 percent, with one act selected as the winner. The chart integrates streaming figures and fan activity data from Melon, Tencent Music and Line Music, reflecting global K-pop trends in real time. The winner will be announced on stage at the ceremony.

The Melon Music Choice award, decided entirely by a panel of judges, will go to an artist who achieved outstanding results on the Melon chart and earned strong fan support over the course of the year.

Now in its second year, TIMA has confirmed the participation of 28 top-tier K-pop acts, including Super Junior, Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, aespa, IVE, RIIZE and BabyMonster.

"The creation of these new award categories is significant because it brings together leading global music platforms to shine a spotlight on K-pop," a Kakao Entertainment official said. "We will continue to connect K-pop artists and fans more broadly through diverse global partnerships and platform collaborations."


shee@heraldcorp.com