Though BTS is currently one of the biggest musical acts in the world, things were not always like this for the group. Coming from a small label, HYBE (named BigHit at the time), they were rarely given screen time in Korean variety shows in the early years of their career. BigHit lacked the power and money, and those shows prioritized the “Big Three” K-pop entertainment agencies: JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment.
Both BTS and their label decided early on to communicate with fans on their own, instead of relying on that screen time. That is a habit that the group still maintains and prioritizes. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook frequently go live on their VLIVE account, either all together or individually, and they have their own variety shows, documentaries, and travel shows. The list includes BTS In The Soop, BTS Bon Voyage, and Run BTS.
What is Run BTS?
Run BTS! is a chaotic game show starring the seven members, where they usually compete with one another or carry out secret missions. That usually involves a prize or a punishment, and it shows how competitive and funny the guys can be. Over the years, they have completed challenges in theme parks, competed to make the best coffee, dubbed Disney movies, and even invited legendary League of Legends team T1 to play games in an esports arena.
From 2015 to 2021, the show aired weekly on Tuesdays and ran for three seasons, for a total of over 150 episodes. It has been on hiatus since October 2021, when the second season of BTS In The Soop came out.
And now, it looks like ARMY’s favorite show is back again. In a new trailer, Jin states that the group “did some recharging and brought more fun back” — with the song “Run BTS (달려라 방탄),” from their anthology album PROOF, as the very appropriate soundtrack.
Where to watch Run BTS
For five years, Run BTS aired exclusively on VLIVE. From 2020 on, new episodes were also added to Weverse as they came out. And, according to the trailer for the show’s return, it looks like YouTube is now officially a part of it as well.
Over the years, fans have uploaded the episodes with subtitles to their own YouTube accounts, because Run BTS was not officially available on the platform. You can still find playlists containing all episodes, grouped by subtitle language.
No information regarding the official availability of earlier episodes on YouTube has been released by BTS or HYBE so far.