Inkigayo

History[edit]

Inkigayo debuted as SBS Popular Song in 1991 as a chart show, but was canceled in fall 1993 because it was replaced by TV Gayo 20 (TV 가요20). It was later revived in 1998 with its original title and format. In 2003, the chart format was removed and was replaced by Take 7, where seven of the most popular artists from the week are featured and the most popular artist receives the award for Mutizen Song.


In spring 2007, the program changed from a recorded broadcast to a live broadcast in an effort to boost ratings, as well as changing the English name to The Music Trend. On November 2, 2008, the program moved from 3:20 pm to 4:10 pm Sunday afternoons, airing before Good Sunday, also to boost ratings. In spring 2010, the program expanded to 70 minutes beginning at 3:50 pm every Sunday.


On July 10, 2012, SBS announced revamping the show removing the Take 7 system and Mutizen Song award, explaining that "we believe that rather than the ranking system, the most important thing is the genre K-Pop being recognized worldwide. Therefore, we have decided to abolish the system after much discussion. There’s really no meaning behind a ranking system. We have decided to undergo this change in hopes that viewers can just enjoy the music. There are a lot of K-Pop stars in the music industry that have talent. We wanted to break free from the repetitive system, in which artists release new songs and perform, so we plan on redesigning our system by having the concept of more special stages. For viewers to enjoy the music, we will have more collaboration stages and much more." The revamped show, without Take 7 and Mutizen Song award, began on July 15, 2012.^[2]


On March 3, 2013, the program announced the revival of the chart system with Inkigayo Chart. The new chart is a collaboration with the Music Industry Association of Korea's Gaon Chart, and began March 17, 2013.^[3]