What is the new SM Entertainment and Tencent Music joint venture in China?

The new Beijing-based company is named STE. It will develop and manage Chinese artists as part of SM Entertainment’s push into Chinese-speaking markets.

Why did SM Entertainment form a partnership with Tencent Music?

SM said the deal is meant to step up its influence in Chinese-speaking entertainment markets. Zhoumi said the two companies want to combine SM’s strengths in intellectual property and content production with an understanding of the Chinese-speaking market.

What will STE do after launching in China?

STE plans to run auditions to recruit members for a new Chinese idol group and oversee the group’s management in China after debut. It will also support SM artists from Chinese-speaking regions.

SM Entertainment forms China joint venture with Tencent Music

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Summary

SM Entertainment has announced a Beijing-based joint venture with Tencent Music Entertainment Group to expand in Chinese-speaking markets. The new company, STE, will develop and manage Chinese artists, and Zhoumi of Super Junior-M has been named chief executive. SM said the venture will launch a new Chinese idol group within two to three years and support artists including Renjun, Yangyang and Xiaojun.

Key Facts

SM said the partnership followed a memorandum of understanding signed with Tencent Music Entertainment in May.
STE is based in Beijing and will develop and manage Chinese artists.
The venture plans to launch a new Chinese idol group within two to three years.
Zhoumi, a member of Super Junior-M, has been appointed chief executive of the venture.
The company will support SM artists from Chinese-speaking regions, including NCT Dream’s Renjun and WayV members Yangyang and Xiaojun.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 27, 2026 10:56 am KST

STE CEO and Super Junior-M member Zhoumi / Courtesy of SM Entertainment

Korean K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment has announced a joint venture with Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME) as it seeks to expand its presence in Chinese-speaking markets.

The new Beijing-based company, named STE, will develop and manage Chinese artists, SM said Thursday.

Zhoumi, a member of Super Junior-M, Super Junior's China-based unit, has been appointed chief executive of the venture.

SM said the partnership followed a memorandum of understanding signed with Tencent Music Entertainment in May in a move aimed at stepping up the expansion of its influence in the Chinese-speaking entertainment markets.

STE will launch a new Chinese idol group within two to three years, according to SM. For this, the venture will run auditions to recruit members and oversee the group's management in China after its debut.

The company will also support the activities of SM artists from Chinese-speaking regions, including NCT Dream's Renjun and WayV members Yangyang and Xiaojun.

"We will present differentiated content and create meaningful results as a bridge between the two companies by combining SM's strengths in intellectual property and content production with an understanding of the Chinese-speaking entertainment markets," Zhoumi said in a release.

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