Why Stray Kids' Comeback MV Hit 16.27 Million Views in a Single Day
Key Takeaways
- · 타이틀곡 'This & That' MV는 공개 하루 만에 1,627만 뷰 (Dhesy 2026-08-08 집계)
- · 컴백 전 3주(7/18~8/8) 공식 2채널에 영상 96편 — 쇼츠 60편·롱폼 36편, 협찬 표기 0편의 자체 기획
- · 스테이위크 숏폼 드라마 7편 각 91만~141만 뷰, 투어 비하인드 최대 106만 뷰, 페어 챌린지 5편 각 122만~167만 뷰
- · 전작까지 빌보드 200 8연속 1위 — 9연속 도전 결과는 발매 다음 주 첫 주 집계에서 판가름
- · 성수 팝업스토어가 8/8~8/20 열려 컴백 화제성이 오프라인으로 연장
On August 6, the day before the comeback, Stray Kids told reporters at a press conference in Yeouido, Seoul: "We want to deliver the heat of last week's Seoul concerts to fans through this album." The remark was reported by Star News, JTBC Entertainment, and other Korean outlets. The next day, at 1 p.m. on August 7, the new mini album 'THIS & THAT' dropped, and the title track's music video reached 16.27 million views within a single day. It was the opening-day scorecard of the group's first comeback in nine months, following 'SKZ IT TAPE : DO IT' in November 2025.
16.27 Million Views in One Day: Was It Really the Product of a Single Day?
The short answer is no. Over the three weeks before the comeback, 96 videos had been stacking up across the official Stray Kids and JYP Entertainment channels, and many of them had already drawn million-view responses before release day. The 16.27 million first-day views look less like one day of firepower and more like the endpoint of a three-week build-up.
That raises three questions. Which content warmed up the fandom, what role did the offline concerts play, and what happened in the final 48 hours before release? We take them one by one below. The song itself also changed lanes: Munhwa News and NC Press framed the title track as a concept shift, from the group's signature intense "mala-spicy" sound to a chill, cool hip-hop tone. For another case where 24-hour view counts served as the yardstick of buzz, see our breakdown of the Avengers: Doomsday teaser.
Here are the comeback's key numbers in one table.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| New album | Mini album 'THIS & THAT' (released Aug 7, 2026, 1 p.m. KST) |
| Hiatus | 9 months (since 'SKZ IT TAPE : DO IT' in Nov 2025) |
| Title track MV, day one | 16.27M views (Dhesy count, Aug 8) |
| Videos in 3 weeks before comeback | 96 — 60 Shorts, 36 long-form (Jul 18–Aug 8) |
| Billboard 200 record | 8 consecutive No. 1 albums; this one aims for a 9th |
| Seoul world tour shows | 'RUN IT SEOUL', 5 shows at KSPO DOME (Jul 25–Aug 2) |
Every line except the first-day view count was built during the three weeks before the comeback — that is the starting point of this piece.
96 Videos Were Stacking Up on Two Official Channels for Three Weeks
Across the three weeks Dhesy tracked, from July 18 to August 8, the two official channels uploaded 60 Shorts and 36 long-form videos — 96 in total, more than four per day on average. By Dhesy's sponsorship-disclosure tracking, zero of the 96 carried an ad label: all of it was in-house content.
The Shorts had a distinct character, too. Rather than clips cut from longer videos, the backbone was content planned natively for Shorts — challenges and a short-form drama — with only the concert behind-the-scenes Shorts deriving from an offline event. The build-up breaks into three phases.
| Phase | Period | Content | Views |
|---|---|---|---|
| World tour behind-the-scenes | Jul 25–Aug 3 | 'RUN IT SEOUL' DAY1–DAY5 Shorts | up to 1.06M views |
| STAYweeK short-form drama | Jul 26–Aug 3 | 'Secret of STAY Company' Ep.01–06 + NG cuts, 7 Shorts | 0.91M–1.41M views each |
| Member-pair challenges | Aug 5–Aug 6 | THIS_AND_THAT challenge Shorts, 5 videos | 1.22M–1.67M views each |
| Baseline: all 3 weeks | Jul 18–Aug 8 | 96 videos on 2 official channels | 60 Shorts · 36 long-form |
The view floor rises with each phase: the closer to release day, the bigger the response each piece of content was built to generate.
What Did the STAYweeK Short-Form Drama 'Secret of STAY Company' Warm Up?
It warmed up the fandom's habit of checking the channel daily. From July 26 to August 1, Stray Kids ran '2026 STAYweeK', marking the eighth anniversary of official fan club STAY. According to Edaily and JTBC Entertainment, the week-long timetable included a short-form drama, a birthday cafe, and a fan-tribute digital album released on August 1.
At its center sat the short-form drama 'Secret of STAY Company'. Its seven episodes — Ep.01 through Ep.06 plus an NG-cut reel — each recorded 0.91 to 1.41 million views. A full series hovering around a million views apiece, ten days before the comeback, is measured evidence that the fandom was already glued to the channel.
In the same window, the long-form vlog 'SKZ LOG' logged 1.43 million views. Even before any new song existed publicly, channel traffic was already running hot.
Five 'RUN IT SEOUL' Shows: How Stage Behind-the-Scenes Became the Trailer
The five-show Seoul leg of the world tour, 'RUN IT SEOUL' at KSPO DOME from July 25 to August 2, doubled as the comeback's trailer. Per Yonhap News and Money Today, the shows were large enough that KakaoMap shipped a dedicated concert map for them. During the run, DAY1–DAY5 behind-the-scenes Shorts rolled out in sequence and peaked at 1.06 million views — functioning as a preview for fans who could not attend and a replay for those who did.
The pre-release track 'RUN IT', sharing its name with the tour, dropped on June 24 with lyrics written by 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin, Han). As reported by Maeil Business and Ten Asia, the song traces the group's path from a "small room" to "From Seoul to the world." This is the context for the members' press-conference remark about delivering the concerts' heat through the album: the tour was not a separate event but one stage of the build-up.
The Final 48 Hours: Five Member-Pair Challenge Shorts Lit the Last Fuse
On August 5 and 6, two days before release, five THIS_AND_THAT challenge Shorts pairing members two-by-two went up in quick succession, each drawing 1.22 to 1.67 million views. A challenge Short filmed with Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon, posted August 6, passed 1.54 million views.
Challenge Shorts plant the choreography and chorus in viewers' ears before the song officially exists for them. If STAYweeK warmed the fandom core and the tour behind-the-scenes built stage anticipation, the challenges were the final stage — pushing the hook out to viewers who had not yet heard the track.
컴백 빌드업 단계별 최고 조회수 (만 뷰)
* Source: Dhesy
Stack the peak views of each phase and the shape becomes clear: three weeks of curves converging on a single MV on August 7.
After 16.27 Million Day-One Views: Billboard's Ninth Straight No. 1 and the Seongsu Pop-Up
Attention now turns to two places. E-Today and Star News report that the group, with eight consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, is aiming for a ninth — decided by next week's first-week tally. Offline, the 'THIS & THAT' pop-up store in Seongsu runs from August 8 to 20, extending the comeback buzz into physical retail. For how a comeback's first week tends to play out, see our analysis of aespa's 'Switchblade' comeback week.
There is a fair counterargument: first-day MV views are a snapshot of fandom mobilization, so a fandom this size might have posted similar numbers without any three-week build-up. What remains on the record, though, is that the STAYweeK drama, the tour behind-the-scenes, and the challenge Shorts each generated million-view responses before release — measured values that would not exist without the build-up.
Takeaways for Marketers and Creators
The three weeks of this comeback formed a four-stage calendar: fandom-core content (STAYweeK), offline-event derivatives (tour behind-the-scenes), mass-reach expansion (challenge Shorts), and the main event (the MV). Warming channel traffic with 96 pieces of purely in-house content — no brand sponsorships — before dropping the main release is a reference model for anyone planning a product launch or seasonal campaign. Next week's first-week album tally will decide the ninth consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1, and with the Seongsu pop-up running through August 20 plus upcoming world tour stops, the comeback's momentum looks set to run at least two more weeks.
FAQ
Q. Will 'THIS & THAT' extend Stray Kids' Billboard No. 1 streak?
The group holds eight consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, and E-Today and Star News report this album is challenging for a ninth. The result comes with the first-week tally the week after release.
Q. Where is the best place to buy the album?
The 'THIS & THAT' pop-up store in Seongsu runs August 8–20, with week one operating on online advance reservations. Pop-up and comeback-event windows often carry purchase perks, so comparing perk bundles before choosing a retailer tends to pay off.
Q. Does Stray Kids hold fan-sign events every comeback?
Based on fan answers on Naver KiN, fan-sign lotteries have customarily run each comeback, with entries tied to album purchases in the qualifying window. For this comeback, the agency's official notices are the accurate source for schedules.
Q. When does the STAY fan club recruit new members?
STAY operates on a membership-term system, with recruitment windows announced through official channels. In 2026, the group marked the fan club's eighth anniversary with the '2026 STAYweeK' event from July 26 to August 1.
Methodology: Based on Dhesy platform data covering 6,933 brands and 75,393 channels. Video counts cover the 96 videos posted on the official Stray Kids and JYP Entertainment channels between 2026-07-18 and 2026-08-08; view counts are as collected on 2026-08-08. All video and view statistics in this article are limited to Dhesy's collected scope. Data source: Dhesy External sources: Star News, Edaily, E-Today Last updated: 2026-08-08