M Countdown (Korean: 엠카운트다운) is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.[1] It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leeteuk, Shindong, and Kangin of Super Junior, the show has had several other celebrities serve as emcees through the years. As of January 2024, M Countdown is hosted by Sung Han-bin of Zerobaseone, Lee So-hee of Riize, and Myung Jae-hyun of BoyNextDoor.
| M Countdown | |
|---|---|
 Logo used since January 2024 | |
| Genre | Music |
| Presented by | Sung Han-bin Lee So-hee Myung Jae-hyun |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 14 |
| No. of episodes | 839 (as of April 25, 2024) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Production company | CJ E&M |
| Original release | |
| Network | Mnet |
| Release | July 29, 2004 – present |
Broadcast
M Countdown airs live on domestic television at 6PM KST every Thursday.[2] Live streaming is available internationally via the M Countdown On Air page on Mwave's website.
In the Philippines, online multi-view live broadcast of the show is available via gigafest.smart.[3] It began airing on the free-to-air TV5 network from January 31, 2021, however due to low ratings on the network, it was concluded on March 6, 2022. Full episodes with English subtitles are shown every Sunday night, along with another K-Chart show Music Bank on GMA Hallypop. Meanwhile, some episodes of M Countdown like Hot Debut and Comeback Stages are already available on YouTube Philippines since January 2022.[4]
Segments
Current segments on the show include MCD Dance Challenge, MCD Vocal Challenge, Storage M, and M Studio. Discontinued segments formerly aired include: B'SHOP (songwriter Bang Si-hyuk introduced a selection of hit songs), MCD Drama (show-hosts acted out various scenarios), MCD News (reported music industry news), and MCD Ranking (ranked celebrities based on certain topics).
Official hosts
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- Leeteuk and Shindong, with Kangin (November 2005 – August 2007)[a]
- Leeteuk, Shindong, and Eunhyuk (August 16, 2007 – March 27, 2008)[6][7]
- 2PM's Nichkhun, Junho, and Chansung, 2AM's Jo Kwon and Jung Jin-woon, CNBLUE's Kang Min-hyuk, and MBLAQ's Lee Joon and G.O (February 18, 2010–??, 2010)[8]
- Tony Ahn and Shin So-yul (March 10, 2011 – August 23, 2012)[9][10]
- Lee Hong-gi (August 30, 2012 – December 13, 2012)[11][12]
- Kim Woo-bin (August 15, 2013 – February 13, 2014)[13][14]
- Ahn Jae-hyun and Jung Joon-young (February 27, 2014 – November 20, 2014)[15][16]
- Lee Jung-shin, Key, BamBam and Park Jin-young (March 19, 2015 – March 3, 2016)[17]
- Lee Jung-shin and Key (March 17, 2016 – September 8, 2016)
- Key (September 22, 2016 – April 13, 2017)[18]
- Daehwi and Han Hyun-min (April 4, 2019 – February 4, 2021)[19][20]
- Miyeon and Nam Yoon-su (February 18, 2021 – January 19, 2023)[21][22]
- Miyeon (January 26 – February 16, 2023)[23][24]
- Miyeon and Joohoney (February 23, 2023 – July 20, 2023)[25][26]
- Miyeon (July 27 – August 31, 2023)
- Miyeon and Sung Han-bin (September 7, 2023 – November 16, 2023)[27][28]
- Sung Han-bin (November 23, 2023 – January 4, 2024)
- Sung Han-bin, Sohee, and Myung Jae-hyun (January 11, 2024 – present)[29]
In February 2010, Mnet announced a new group of eight emcees, comprising select members from 2PM, 2AM, CNBLUE, and MBLAQ. Nicknamed "MCD GUYZ", they hosted the show in subgroups of three or four at a time. This marked the first time M Countdown deviated from its tradition of having 1–2 fixed presenters.[8]
Following Key's departure as host on April 13, 2017, M Countdown announced the implementation of a "special MC system" of guest presenters since a permanent replacement had not yet been decided.[18] The first "new" hosts selected were girl group singers Hani from EXID, and Kyulkyung and Nayoung from Pristin—they appeared on the April 20 broadcast.[30]
Between April 2018 and March 2019, the show was hosted by a "Global MC Crew" of idols who spoke various foreign languages.[31]
M Countdown chart
Chart rankings are calculated by combining the following for a total of 12,000 points:[32]
- Digital music sales from Circle (60%)
- Social media points from YouTube and short form content from various platforms. (10%)
- Album sales data from Circle (15%)
- Global fan votes via Mnet Plus (15%)
- Mnet broadcast points (10%)
- Live-vote (10%; first-place nominees only)
Data is collected from Monday to Sunday.
Songs can win a maximum of three times before being removed from the chart.[32]
Girls' Generation was the only act to achieve the perfect score of 10,000 points under the fourth and fifth scoring systems. Since then, only Exo, BTS, Shinee, Twice, and NU'EST have achieved the perfect score of 11,000 points.
Winners
While previous revisions of this article included winners from 2004 to 2007, that information was not supported by any secondary sources since its initial addition in 2011. A lack of media coverage of the show on Naver for those particular years makes sourcing the information difficult. As such, those sections have been removed from the page and only winners from 2008 to present are cited.
Triple crowns
The term triple crown refers to when a song achieves three wins on the show.[32] After that, it becomes ineligible for first place and is removed from the chart.[32] The following is a list of all songs that have achieved a triple crown on M Countdown from 2008 to present.
| Artist | Song | Wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | |||
| MC Mong | "Circus" | May 8, May 22, June 12 | |
| Taeyang | "Look Only At Me" | June 19, June 26, July 3 | |
| Wonder Girls | "So Hot" | July 10, July 17, July 24 | |
| Lee Hyori | "U-Go-Girl" | July 31, August 14, August 21 | |
| BigBang | "Haru Haru" | August 28, September 4, September 11 | |
| TVXQ | "Mirotic" | October 9, October 23, October 30 | |
| 2009 | |||
| Seungri | "Strong Baby" | January 22, February 5, February 19 | |
| Kara | "Honey" | March 5, March 12, March 26 | |
| 2PM | "Again & Again" | May 7, May 14, May 21 | |
| "I Hate You" | July 2, July 9, July 16 | ||
| 2NE1 | "I Don't Care" | July 23, August 6, August 13 | |
| G-Dragon | "Heartbreaker" | September 10, September 17, September 24 | |
| 2010 | |||
| 2PM | "Without U" | April 29, May 6, May 13 | |
| 2NE1 | "Can't Nobody" | September 23, September 30, October 7 | |
| Girls' Generation | "Hoot" | November 18, November 25, December 2 | |
| 2011 | |||
| Seungri | "What Can I Do" | January 27, February 3, February 10 | |
| BigBang | "Tonight" | March 3, March 10, March 17 | |
| CNBLUE | "Intuition" | March 31, April 7, April 14 | |
| f(x) | "Pinocchio (Danger)" | May 5, May 12, May 19 | |
| Beast | "Fiction" | May 26, June 2, June 9 | |
| Super Junior | "Mr. Simple" | August 11, August 18, August 25 | |
| Girls' Generation | "The Boys" | October 27, November 3, November 10 | |
| Trouble Maker | "Trouble Maker" | December 15, December 22, December 29 | |
| 2012 | |||
| Girls' Generation-TTS | "Twinkle" | May 10, May 17, May 24 | |
| Infinite | "The Chaser" | May 31, June 7, June 14 | |
| f(x) | "Electric Shock" | June 21, June 28, July 5 | |
| Super Junior | "Sexy, Free & Single" | July 12, July 19, July 26 | |
| Beast | "Beautiful Night" | August 2, August 9, August 16 | |
| Psy | "Gangnam Style" | August 23, August 30, September 6 | |
| G-Dragon | "Crayon" | September 27, October 4, October 11 | |
| Lee Hi | "1,2,3,4" | November 8, November 15, November 22 | |
| Lee Seung-gi | "Return" | November 29, December 6, December 13 | |
| 2013 | |||
| Yang Yo-seob | "Caffeine" | December 20, December 27, January 3 | |
| Girls' Generation | "I Got a Boy" | January 10, January 17, January 24 | |
| Sistar19 | "Gone Not Around Any Longer" | February 7, February 14, February 21 | |
| Shinee | "Dream Girl" | February 28, March 7, March 14 | |
| Psy | "Gentleman" | April 18, April 25, May 2 | |
| Shinhwa | "This Love" | May 23, May 30, June 6 | |
| Sistar | "Give It To Me" | June 20, June 27, July 4 | |
| Exo | "Growl" | August 22, August 29, September 5 | |
| 2014 | |||
| Exo | "Miracles in December" | December 19, December 26, January 2 | |
| TVXQ | "Something" | January 16, January 23, January 30 | |
| Akdong Musician | "200%" | April 17, April 24, May 1 | |
| Taeyang | "Eyes, Nose, Lips" | June 12, June 19, July 3 | |
| Winner | "Empty" | August 21, August 28, September 18 | |
| Epik High | "Happen Ending" | October 30, November 6, November 13 | |
| 2015 | |||
| Shinhwa | "Sniper" | March 12, March 19, March 26 | |
| Exo | "Call Me Baby" | April 9, April 16, April 30 | |
| Girls' Generation | "Lion Heart" | August 27, September 3, September 10 | |
| Taeyeon | "I" | October 15, October 22, October 29 | |
| 2016 | |||
| Psy | "Daddy" | December 17, December 24, January 7 | |
| iKon | "Dumb & Dumber" | January 14, January 21, January 28 | |
| GFriend | "Rough" | February 4, February 11, February 18 | |
| Twice | "Cheer Up" | May 5, May 19, May 26 | |
| Exo | "Monster" | June 16, June 23, June 30 | |
| GFriend | "Navillera" | July 21, July 28, August 4 | |
| 2017 | |||
| BigBang | "Fxxk It" | December 22, January 5, January 12 | |
| Mamamoo | "Yes I Am" | June 29, July 6, July 13 | |
| Exo | "Ko Ko Bop" | July 27, August 3, August 10 | |
| Wanna One | "Energetic" | August 17, August 24, August 31 | |
| 2018 | |||
| iKon | "Love Scenario" | February 1, March 1, March 8 | |
| Blackpink | "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" | June 28, July 5, July 12 | |
| 2019 | |||
| Seventeen | "Home" | January 31, February 7, February 14 | |
| X1 | "Flash" | September 5, September 12, September 19 | |
| 2020 | |||
| Itzy | "Wannabe" | March 19, March 26, April 2 | |
| "Not Shy" | September 3, September 10, September 17 | ||
| 2021 | |||
| (G)I-dle | "Hwaa" | January 21, January 28, February 4 | |
| NCT Dream | "Hot Sauce" | May 20, May 27, June 3 | |
| NCT 127 | "Sticker" | September 23, September 30, October 7 | |
| 2022 | |||
| BigBang | "Still Life" | April 14, April 21, April 28 | |
| BTS | "Yet to Come" | June 16, June 23, June 30 | |
| Blackpink | "Pink Venom" | August 25, September 1, September 8 | |
| "Shut Down" | September 22, September 29, October 6 | ||
| 2023 | |||
| BSS | "Fighting" | February 16, February 23, March 2 | |
| BTS | "Take Two" | June 22, June 29, July 6 | |
| Jungkook | "Seven" | July 20, July 27, August 3 | |
| V | "Love Me Again" | August 24, August 31, September 7 | |
| "Slow Dancing" | September 14, September 21, September 28 | ||
| Jungkook | "3D" | October 5, October 12, October 19 | |
| 2024 | |||
| (G)I-dle | "Super Lady" | February 8, February 15, February 22 | |
| Le Sserafim | "Easy" | February 29, March 7, March 14 | |
Achievements by artists
Most No. 1 winners
| Rank | Artist | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Twice | 25 |
| 2nd | Big Bang | 24 |
| 3rd | Exo | 19 |
| 4th | Girls' Generation | 18 |
| 5th | Red Velvet | 17 |
| 6th | BTS | 16 |
| Seventeen | ||
| 7th | 2NE1 | 15 |
| (G)I-dle | ||
| 8th | 2PM | 14 |
| Beast/Highlight | ||
| Itzy |
Top 10 Highest Scores (1st–6th System) July 29, 2004 – March 3, 2011
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2NE1 | "I Don't Care" | 981.3 | August 13, 2009 |
| 2nd | 979.8 | August 6, 2009 | ||
| 3rd | 977.9 | July 23, 2009 | ||
| 4th | 2AM | "Can't Let You Go Even If I Die" | 976 | February 25, 2010 |
| 5th | G-Dragon | "Heartbreaker" | 975.7 | September 24, 2009 |
| 6th | 2PM | "Again & Again" | 975 | May 21, 2009 |
| 7th | G-Dragon | "Heartbreaker" | 974.5 | September 17, 2009 |
| 8th | 2PM | "Again & Again" | 973.4 | May 14, 2009 |
| 9th | G-Dragon | "Heartbreaker" | 973.2 | September 10, 2009 |
| 10th | Shinee | "Ring Ding Dong" | 972.6 | November 5, 2009 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (7th–8th System) March 10, 2011 – August 23, 2012
Scoring 7th System: Digital Single Sales (40%), Album Sales (10%), Asia/Global Fan Vote (15%), Preferences of Music Experts (10%), Real-Time Charts (15%), SMS Vote (10%)
Scoring 8th System: Digital Single Sales (45%), Album Sales (10%), Global Fan Vote (15%), Mnet Broadcasting (5%), Preferences of Music Experts (10%), Real-Time Charts (5%), SMS Vote (10%)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | CNBLUE | "Intuition" | 9,654 | April 7, 2011 |
| 2nd | Girls' Generation-TTS | "Twinkle" | 9,357 | May 17, 2012 |
| 3rd | 9,355 | May 10, 2012 | ||
| 4th | Kara | "Step" | 9,314 | September 22, 2011 |
| 5th | f(x) | "Electric Shock" | 9,296 | June 21, 2012 |
| 6th | Wonder Girls | "Be My Baby" | 9,290 | November 17, 2011 |
| 7th | CNBLUE | "Intuition" | 9,255 | March 31, 2011 |
| 8th | Beast | "Fiction" | 9,253 | June 2, 2011 |
| 9th | Big Bang | "Fantastic Baby" | 9,204 | March 22, 2012 |
| 10th | Beast | "Fiction" | 9,191 | June 9, 2011 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (9th–10th System) August 30, 2012 – February 20, 2014
Scoring System: Digital Single Sales (50%), Album Sales (10%), Age Preference (20%), Global Fan Vote (5%), Live Show Preferences (10%), SMS Vote (5%)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Girls' Generation | "I Got a Boy" | 10,000 | January 10, 2013 |
| 2nd | 9,988 | January 17, 2013 | ||
| 3rd | Yang Yo-seob | "Caffeine" | 9,795 | January 3, 2013 |
| 4th | Sistar19 | "Gone Not Around Any Longer" | 9,642 | February 14, 2013 |
| 5th | Shinee | "Dream Girl" | 9,459 | March 7, 2013 |
| 6th | Busker Busker | "Love, at first" | 9,419 | October 3, 2013 |
| 7th | 9,415 | October 10, 2013 | ||
| 8th | Yang Yo-seob | "Caffeine" | 9,267 | December 20, 2012 |
| 9th | TVXQ | "Something" | 9,244 | January 16, 2014 |
| 10th | Shinee | "Dream Girl" | 9,168 | February 28, 2013 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (11th–12th System) February 27, 2014 – June 4, 2015[33]
Scoring System: Digital Single Sales (50%), Album Sales (10%), Social Media Points (10%: YouTube official music video views + SNS buzz), Preference Points (10%: global fan votes + age range preference), Mnet Broadcast Points (10%), SMS Votes (10%)[33]
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Girls' Generation | "Mr.Mr." | 10,000 | March 13, 2014 |
| 2nd | f(x) | "Red Light" | 9,772 | July 17, 2014 |
| 3rd | Shinee | "View" | 9,762 | June 4, 2015 |
| 4th | Exo | "Overdose" | 9,706 | May 15, 2014 |
| 5th | Big Bang | "Loser" | 9,669 | May 14, 2015 |
| 6th | Apink | "Mr. Chu (On Stage)" | 9,577 | May 8, 2014 |
| 7th | Girls' Generation | "Mr.Mr." | 9,363 | March 6, 2014 |
| 8th | Taeyang | "Eyes, Nose, Lips" | 9,255 | June 19, 2014 |
| 9th | Shinee | "View" | 9,037 | May 28, 2015 |
| 10th | 2NE1 | "Come Back Home" | 8,869 | March 20, 2014 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (13th–15th System) June 11, 2015 – April 12, 2018
Scoring System: Digital Music Sales (50%), Album Sales (15%), Social Media Score (15%: YouTube official music video views + SNS buzz), Popularity Score (10%: global fan votes + age range preference), Mnet Broadcast Score (10%) + SMS Voting Score (10%)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Exo | "Power" | 11,000 | September 14, 2017 |
| BTS | "DNA" | September 28, 2017 | ||
| 2nd | Girls' Generation | "Lion Heart" | 10,988 | September 3, 2015 |
| 3rd | 10,961 | September 10, 2015 | ||
| 4th | Taeyeon | "I" | 10,929 | October 15, 2015 |
| 5th | Red Velvet | "Rookie" | 10,903 | February 16, 2017 |
| 6th | "Red Flavor" | 10,877 | July 20, 2017 | |
| 7th | Exo | "Monster" | 10,849 | June 23, 2016 |
| 8th | Wanna One | "Energetic" | 10,844 | August 24, 2017 |
| 9th | "Boomerang" | 10,805 | March 29, 2018 | |
| 10th | Twice | "Heart Shaker" | 10,776 | December 21, 2017 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (16th–18th System) April 26, 2018 – May 21, 2020
Scoring System: Digital Music Sales (45%), Album Sales (15%), Social Media Score (20%: YouTube official music video views + SNS buzz), Global Fan Votes (10%), Mnet Broadcast Score (10%), SMS Live Vote (10%)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | BTS | "Fake Love" | 11,000 | May 31, 2018 |
| Shinee | "I Want You" | June 21, 2018 | ||
| BTS | "Boy with Luv" | April 25, 2019 | ||
| Twice | "Fancy" | May 2, 2019 | ||
| NU'EST | "Bet Bet" | May 9, 2019 | ||
| BTS | "On" | March 5, 2020 | ||
| NU'EST | "I'm in Trouble" | May 21, 2020 | ||
| 2nd | X1 | "Flash" | 10,945 | September 19, 2019 |
| 3rd | Twice | "Dance the Night Away" | 10,933 | July 19, 2018 |
| 4th | Iz*One | "Fiesta" | 10,914 | February 27, 2020 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (19th–20th System) May 28, 2020 – April 7, 2022
Scoring System: Digital Sales (45%: Melon, Genie, FLO), Album Sales (15%), Social Media (15%: YouTube MV views), Global Fan Vote (15%), Mnet Broadcast (10%: Mnet TV, MCD Stage, M2 Contents), Live Vote (10%: first-place nominees only)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shinee | "Don't Call Me" | 10,990 | March 4, 2021 |
| 2nd | NCT Dream | "Hot Sauce" | 10,800 | May 20, 2021 |
| 3rd | Seventeen | "Left & Right" | 10,705 | July 2, 2020 |
| 4th | Twice | "Alcohol-Free" | 10,123 | June 17, 2021 |
| 5th | NCT 127 | "Punch" | 9,778 | May 28, 2020 |
| 6th | Taeyeon | "INVU" | 9,676 | February 24, 2022 |
| 7th | (G)I-dle | "Hwaa" | 9,594 | January 21, 2021 |
| 8th | Stray Kids | "Thunderous" | 9,421 | September 9, 2021 |
| 9th | Iz*One | "Panorama" | 9,364 | December 17, 2020 |
| 10th | Twice | "More & More" | 9,356 | June 11, 2020 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (21st-22nd System) April 14, 2022 – January 4, 2024
Scoring System: Digital Sales (50%), Album Sales (15%), Social Media (10%), Global Fan Vote (15%), Mnet Broadcast (10%), Live Vote (10%)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | BTS | "Yet to Come" | 11,000 | June 23, 2022 |
| 2nd | Stray Kids | "Case 143" | 10,756 | October 20, 2022 |
| 3rd | BSS | "Fighting" | 10,669 | February 16, 2023 |
| 4th | Seventeen | "_World" | 10,633 | July 28, 2022 |
| 5th | BTS | "Yet to Come" | 10,333 | June 16, 2022 |
| 6th | Jimin | "Like Crazy" | 9,855 | March 30, 2023 |
| 7th | Jungkook | "Standing Next to You" | 9,622 | November 9, 2023 |
| 8th | Seventeen | "Super" | 9,603 | May 4, 2023 |
| 9th | V | "Slow Dancing" | 9,557 | September 14, 2023 |
| 10th | Tomorrow X Together | "Sugar Rush Ride" | 9,489 | February 9, 2023 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (Current System) January 11, 2024–present
Scoring System: Digital Sales (60%), Album Sales (15%), Global Social Media Buzz (15%), Global Fan Vote (10%), Mnet Broadcast (10%), Live Vote (10%)
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Le Sserafim | "Easy" | 9,428 | February 29, 2024 |
| 2nd | Nmixx | "Dash" | 9,338 | January 25, 2024 |
| 3rd | (G)I-dle | "Super Lady" | 8,780 | February 8, 2024 |
| 4th | Le Sserafim | "Easy" | 8,502 | March 7, 2024 |
| 5th | Riize | "Love 119" | 8,174 | January 18, 2024 |
| 6th | V | "Fri(end)s" | 7,950 | March 21, 2024 |
| 7th | Le Sserafim | "Easy" | 7,900 | March 14, 2024 |
| 8th | V | "Fri(end)s" | 7,767 | March 28, 2024 |
| 9th | Jimin | "Closer Than This" | 7,500 | January 11, 2024 |
| 10th | IU | "Love Wins All" | 7,443 | February 1, 2024 |
Top 10 Highest Scores (All Time)
| Artist | Song | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exo | "Power" | 11,000 | September 14, 2017 |
| BTS | "DNA" | September 28, 2017 | |
| "Fake Love" | May 31, 2018 | ||
| Shinee | "I Want You" | June 21, 2018 | |
| BTS | "Boy with Luv" | April 25, 2019 | |
| Twice | "Fancy" | May 2, 2019 | |
| NU'EST | "Bet Bet" | May 9, 2019 | |
| BTS | "On" | March 5, 2020 | |
| NU'EST | "I'm in Trouble" | May 21, 2020 | |
| BTS | "Yet to Come" | June 23, 2022 |