[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] The excitement surrounding comebacks in the K-pop industry—which had cooled off for a while due to the cancellation of terrestrial music shows to make way for Asian Games broadcasts—is heating up again. This is as artists who scheduled their comebacks to avoid the Games are releasing new albums one after another.

According to the music industry on the 2nd, KBS 2TV’s “Music Bank” and MBC’s “Show! Music Core” have been suspended for two consecutive weeks due to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which opened on the 19th of last month.
“Music Bank” is taking a break from broadcasting today, following its hiatus on the 25th of last month. “Show! Music Core” will not air on the 3rd, following its cancellation on the 26th of last month. SBS’s “Inkigayo” was canceled on the 27th of last month but will air as scheduled on the 4th, the closing day of the Asian Games.
Music shows are frequently preempted during major sporting events such as the Olympics, World Cup, and Asian Games, so it is not uncommon for major entertainment agencies to adjust the release dates of new albums to account for this.
In particular, since idol groups have recently tended to limit their music show promotions to around two weeks, it is crucial that music shows are scheduled as usual at the time of their comeback.
As the Asian Games draw to a close, new album releases in the K-pop industry are picking up steam again. Starting this week, Boy Next Door, NiziU, All Day Project, Cravity, and Close Your Eyes have all kicked off their comeback promotions one after another.
Boy Next Door released “HOME: DELUXE,” a repackaged version of their first full-length album featuring “ANIMAL” as the title track. NiziU, who debuted in Japan under JYP Entertainment, unveiled their first Korean mini-album, “Sour Grapes.”
All Day Project broke their nine-month hiatus with the release of their second mini-album, “CRASH.” CRAVITY and Close Your Eyes made their comebacks with new songs “LOUDER” and “Drop That!”, respectively.

Next week, KICKFLIP will make their debut, followed by major groups such as NCT WISH and PLAYB by in quick succession. As the number of groups with overlapping promotional periods increases, competition to secure spots on music shows is expected to intensify.
Typically, about 20 groups perform on each episode of a music show. During periods when many artists are making comebacks, the bar for securing a spot on the show rises. An official from an idol agency told Edaily, “I heard that about 60 groups applied to appear on ‘Inkigayo,’ which resumes broadcasting on the 4th.” The official added, “Artists with strong name recognition and a solid fanbase can secure appearance opportunities relatively easily, but rookie-level artists must compete fiercely for the limited spots.”
In the music industry, music shows are still considered a key promotional channel for idol groups to publicize their new songs. Although viewership ratings hover around the 0% range, this is because various derivative content—such as performance videos and fan-cam footage of individual members—is produced and released through the broadcasters’ official YouTube channels.
Regardless of the impact of the Asian Games, October is typically a time when comebacks are concentrated and competition for music show appearances intensifies. This is because artists rush to promote their new releases ahead of the year-end awards ceremonies and concert season.
Park Byeong-chang, CEO of music promotion agency Major Seven Company, said, “Since many groups postponed their comebacks this year due to the Asian Games schedule, activity in October is expected to be even more vigorous, and competition for chart rankings will likely intensify.”