Are K-pop's audition show-formed project groups headed for longer runs?

From left are project K-pop boy band ZEROBASEONE members Kim Gyu-vin, Kim Ji-woong, Seok Matthew, Han Yu-jin, Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky and Park Gun-wook. Courtesy of WAKEONE

For years, project groups born from K-pop audition shows have followed an all-too-predictable script — they enjoy a burst of fame, then vanish into thin air once their short-term contracts run out.

These acts, made up of trainees from multiple different agencies, were rarely meant to last. While some members went on to relaunch careers elsewhere, the group’s popularity often faded as quickly as it had arrived.

That narrative, however, is apparently beginning to crack.

Just last year, most members of girl group Kep1er, formed through the 2021 audition show "Girls Planet 999," renewed their contracts, becoming the first project act to break the industry's unwritten rule.

More recently, boy band ZEROBASEONE (ZB1) has confirmed that talks are underway to extend its activities beyond its original end date, fueling speculation that the short-lived model for such groups could be changing.

On Tuesday, ZB1's agency, WAKEONE, told multiple local media outlets that it "highly values the group's potential and growth prospects" and has been in "serious talks" with each member's agency since early this year about continuing the project.

ZB1 was formed through Mnet's first season of its K-pop survival audition show, "Boys Planet" and features Sung Han-bin, Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook and Han Yu-jin. The nine-piece group debuted in July 2023, under a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Since then, every release from the group has cleared the million-sales mark, earning them five-time consecutive million sellers. Yet their official disbandment date of Jan. 10, 2026, has loomed large over the fandom.

While no final decision has been announced yet, the agency's acknowledgment of active negotiations is being seen as a clear sign that the tide may be turning.

Members of project K-pop girl group Kep1er, from left, Huening Bahiyyih, Yujin, Youngeun, Chaehyun, Dayeon, Xiaoting and Hikaru extended their contracts with WAKEONE, bringing Kep1er's original nine-member lineup down to seven. Courtesy of WAKEONE

The earliest sign of this shift came last spring.

In May 2024, WAKEONE revealed that seven members of Kep1er, excluding Mashiro and Kang Ye-seo, successfully renewed their contracts and that the group would continue as a seven-piece. Initially set to disband after a July concert in Japan, the group was able to keep the name and stay active, marking the first time a project act secured such a deal.

Until then, even the most successful survival show acts like I.O.I, Wanna One and IZ*ONE disbanded precisely on schedule, regardless of fan demand.

That pattern had long been attributed to the economics behind these groups.

Project lineups are typically composed of idols already under contract with different agencies. While the project group is active, those agencies cannot use the members for their own activities, cutting off a key revenue stream.

When the term ends, the financial logic for most K-pop labels favors ending the project and redeploying the idols into in-house groups they can fully control, which is why many former project group members have reappeared almost immediately in other groups.

Project K-pop girl group IZ*ONE, seen in this photo, debuted in October 2018 and concluded activities in April 2021. After disbandment, members Sakura and Kim Chae-won reappeared under HYBE Labels subsidiary Source Music's new girl group LE SSERAFIM, while Jang Won-young and Ahn Yu-jin of Starship Entertainment joined girl group IVE. Newsis

Recently, however, agencies appear more open to continuing these groups, even with altered lineups, once a strong fan base is in place. Project groups can generate substantial short-term profits and disbanding them risks losing the fan communities built through the original survival program.

"Agencies want to keep control over idol intellectual property they’ve invested heavily in, and fans increasingly want to see their favorites stay active regardless of agency affiliation," music critic Mimyo told a local media outlet. "Those interests are now aligning, and we’ll likely see more creative renewal models emerge to keep idols performing."