How the six music shows pick their #1
A trophy is a weighted score of one week's digital and album sales, airplay, video views and fan votes. The weights differ from show to show and change every year or two; this is where they stand today.
Updated Source: broadcasters, Wikipedia, Korean press
| Category | SHOWTue | CHAMPWed | MCDThu | BANKFri | CORESat | INKISun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital | ? | 35 % | 50 % | 80 % | 50 % | 50 % |
| Album | ? | 15 % | 15 % | 5 % | 10 % | 10 % |
| Broadcast | ? | 20 % | 10 % | – | 5 % | 10 % |
| Video & social | ? | 10 % | 10 % | 5 % | 10 % | 20 % |
| Pre-vote | ? | 20 % | 10 % | 10 % | 10 % | 5 % |
| Live vote | ? | – | 5 % | – | 10 % | 5 % |
| Other | ? | – | – | – | 5 % | – |
| Perfect score | unpublished | no cap | 11,000 | no cap | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Win limit per song | unpublished | 3 wins | 3 wins | none | 3 wins | 3 wins |
| Formula since | Jun 2026 | Jul 2021 | Jan 2024 | Jan 2023 | May 2026 | Oct 2024 |
Per cent of the total score. "Pre-vote" covers app votes cast before the broadcast (Mubeat, Idol Champ, LiNC, Mnet Plus), "live vote" the vote between the nominees during the show. The Show has not published the weights of the formula it uses since its June 2026 relaunch.
Show by show
The full formula, its cap, how voting works, how often one song may win, and what changed when.
How The Show picks its #1Formula not published by the broadcaster
The Show has not published the percentages of its current formula. Off air from 11 November 2025 to 1 June 2026 after SBS M closed; back since 2 June 2026 as season 7 on SBS LIFE (formerly SBS FiL) and TikTok Live. The trophy is called “The Show Choice”.
Changes
- 2021-03: pre-vote 5 %, live vote 10 %, then broadcast, digital (Gaon), album (Hanteo), judges and YouTube views at 15 % each; perfect score 10,000.
- 2026-06-02: relaunch under BIGC on SBS LIFE – global streaming charts join the tally, a “fandom engagement score” from Instagram, YouTube and TikTok is added, voting moves to BIGC.
- Formula since
- June 2026
- Perfect score
- Unpublished
- Voting
- Pre-votes and live votes run on the BIGC app and website since the June 2026 relaunch (Star Planet 2021–2025, Starplay before that).
- Win limit
- Not stated by the broadcaster.
- Not confirmed
- The percentages of the 2026 formula and its maximum score have not been published. Whether a song retires after three wins.
How Show Champion picks its #1Digital sales 35 % · Broadcast 20 % · Fan vote 20 % · … · since July 2021
- 35 %Digital sales (Melon, Bugs, Genie, Flo)
- 20 %Broadcast
- 20 %Fan vote (Idol Champ)
- 15 %Physical album (Hanteo)
- 10 %Music video views (YouTube)
Changes
- 2020-02-12: digital and physical weights adjusted.
- 2021-07-14: current 35 / 20 / 20 / 15 / 10 formula; scores shown on air for the first time.
- Formula since
- July 2021
- Perfect score
- No fixed maximum
- Voting
- Idol Champ app, Friday to Monday; the chart tracks Monday to Sunday.
- Win limit
- Triple crown: a song leaves the chart after three wins, consecutive or not (since 2015).
- Not confirmed
- A stated maximum score (the components imply 10,000).
How M Countdown picks its #1Digital sales 50 % · Physical album 15 % · Video views 10 % · … · since January 2024
- 50 %Digital sales (Circle Global K-pop Chart)
- 15 %Physical album (Circle Album Chart)
- 10 %Video views (YouTube, TikTok)
- 10 %Mnet broadcast
- 10 %Global pre-vote (Mnet Plus)
- 5 %Live vote (Mnet Plus)
Changes
- 2020-05-28: digital cut to 45 %, global fan vote and social weights raised.
- 2022-04-14: digital back to 50 %, social down to 10 %.
- 2024-01: current 50 / 20 / 15 / 10 / 10 formula; Circle Global K-pop Chart and TikTok added.
- Formula since
- January 2024
- Perfect score
- 11,000 points
- Voting
- Mnet Plus app: a global pre-vote during the week and a live vote between the first-place nominees during the broadcast.
- Win limit
- Triple crown: a song can win three times, then leaves the chart.
- Not confirmed
- Whether the 11,000 cap still applies after the January 2024 revision. The split of the 15 % vote share between the global pre-vote and the live vote (sources disagree).
How Music Bank picks its #1Digital sales 60 % · KBS broadcast plays 20 % · K-pop fan voting 10 % · … · since January 2023
- 60 %Digital sales (Melon, Bugs, Genie, Vibe, Flo)
- 20 %KBS broadcast plays (TV, radio, digital channels)
- 10 %K-pop fan voting (Mubeat)
- 5 %Physical album (Circle)
- 5 %Social media (YouTube, TikTok via Circle)
Changes
- 2022-02-25: a 10 % viewers' choice vote added; digital 60, broadcast 20, album 5, social 5.
- 2023-01-06: the vote moves to Mubeat's K-pop fan voting; broadcast score extended to KBS digital channels.
- Formula since
- January 2023
- Perfect score
- No fixed maximum
- Voting
- Global pre-vote on the Mubeat app from Monday 11:00 to Wednesday 11:00 KST; there is no live vote.
- Win limit
- None – a song can win any number of times.
- Not confirmed
- The exact start time: Wikipedia lists 17:15, some schedules 17:00.
How Show! Music Core picks its #1Digital sales 50 % · Physical album 10 % · Music video views 10 % · … · since May 2026
- 50 %Digital sales
- 10 %Physical album
- 10 %Music video views
- 10 %Global pre-vote (Mubeat, MUNIVERSE)
- 6 %Live vote – global app
- 4 %Live vote – text message
- 5 %Broadcast
- 5 %Viewer committee
Changes
- 2021-06-05: digital 50, album 10, video 10, broadcast 10, viewer committee 5, pre-vote 5, live vote 10.
- 2024-04-13: win limit cut from five to three.
- 2026-05-30: broadcast 10 → 5; pre-vote becomes a 10 % global vote on Mubeat and MUNIVERSE; live vote split into 6 % app and 4 % text.
- Formula since
- May 2026
- Perfect score
- 10,000 points
- Voting
- Pre-vote on Mubeat and, since May 2026, MUNIVERSE (roughly Tuesday to Thursday); live vote for the three nominees during the show via app and text message.
- Win limit
- Triple crown since 13 April 2024: a song leaves the chart after three wins (from February 2021 to April 2024 the limit was five).
- Not confirmed
- The start time: MBC's own listings say 15:15, other sources 15:20 or 15:30. The May 2026 weights come from the Korean Namu wiki; English Wikipedia had not yet recorded the change.
How Inkigayo picks its #1Digital sales 50 % · Video views and social 20 % · Physical album 10 % · … · since October 2024
- 50 %Digital sales (Melon, Genie, Flo, Circle Global K-pop Chart)
- 20 %Video views and social (YouTube)
- 10 %Physical album (Circle Album Chart)
- 10 %On-air (SBS TV and radio)
- 5 %Pre-vote
- 5 %Live vote
Changes
- 2021-01-24: pre-vote and live vote both counted; digital 5,500, YouTube 3,000, album 1,000, on-air 1,000 points – perfect score 11,000.
- 2024-10-06: digital 5,500 → 5,000 and YouTube 3,000 → 2,000 points; Circle Global K-pop Chart and global platforms added.
- Formula since
- October 2024
- Perfect score
- 10,000 points
- Voting
- Pre-vote Monday to Saturday (LiNC; earlier Starpass); live vote for the nominees during the broadcast via the Higher app.
- Win limit
- Triple crown: after three first-place wins a song leaves the chart. OSTs and audition-show songs are not eligible.
- Not confirmed
- The 10,000 maximum is derived from digital 5,000 points = 50 %; no article states it outright. The start time: the 2026 winners list says 15:20, the Korean Namu wiki 15:40.
What a win measures
Every show ranks the songs released or promoted in its chart week and hands one trophy to the top of that ranking. Sales and streaming are counted from the Korean charts each broadcaster licenses (Circle, Melon, Genie, Flo, Hanteo), airplay only from the broadcaster's own channels, and votes from the app it partners with. A trophy therefore says: this week, on this network's mix, this song came first.
That is why a song can sweep a week or win nothing at all, why the same week can have six different winners, and why a run of trophies ends when a show retires the song after its third win. The records pages count trophies exactly as awarded; nothing is weighted or adjusted between shows.
Quick answers
- What is a triple crown in K-pop?
- A song wins first place three times on one show, usually in three consecutive weeks. On Inkigayo, M Countdown, Show Champion and (since April 2024) Music Core the song then leaves the chart; Music Bank has no limit. Korean press counts total trophies separately as N관왕 (3관왕, 4관왕). Korean: 트리플 크라운.
- What is a grand slam in K-pop?
- One song wins first place on every weekly music show – today the six tracked here. Some outlets count five and leave out The Show. Korean: 그랜드 슬램 / 음방 올킬.
- What is a clean sweep in K-pop?
- One song takes every trophy awarded in a single broadcast week (Tuesday to Sunday). On this site a sweep needs at least four trophies, so a week with only two shows on air does not count.
- What is a first win in K-pop?
- An artist's first-ever number-one trophy on any music show, usually marked with an encore stage – a career milestone regardless of the show. Korean: 첫 1위.
- What is a all-kill in K-pop?
- A chart term, not a music-show win: #1 on all of Instiz iChart's real-time charts (real-time all-kill), plus the daily charts (certified all-kill), plus the weekly component (perfect all-kill). Korean: 올킬 / 퍼펙트 올킬.
- Which music show is the hardest to win?
- There is no single answer: Music Bank leans on digital sales and KBS airplay with no fan vote during the show, M Countdown and Music Core give fan votes a fifth of the score, Inkigayo weights YouTube heavily. A song that streams well tends to win Music Bank; a song with a mobilised fandom does better where votes count.
- Why do points differ so much between shows?
- Each show has its own maximum – 10,000 on Inkigayo and Music Core, 11,000 on M Countdown, none on Music Bank, where weekly totals pass 10,000 routinely – and the maxima have changed over the years. Points are comparable within a show and a season, not across shows.
- Does a #1 on a music show mean the song topped the charts?
- Not necessarily. A trophy combines sales, airplay, video views and votes for one week on one broadcaster; the Circle Chart or Melon's weekly chart measure something else. Chart terms like all-kill describe those charts, not the shows.