By the K-Pulso team · Published
The Melon Music Awards 2026 (MMA2026) take place on November 14 and 15 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It is the 18th edition, and the first one held over two days. 26 acts perform, among them IVE, aespa, NCT DREAM, ILLIT and CORTIS. Here is the lineup by day, who presents the awards, where to watch from Japan, Indonesia and the rest of the world, what time it starts and how fan voting works.
Dates and venue
- Day 1: Saturday November 14, 2026.
- Day 2: Sunday November 15, 2026.
- Venue: Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul.
- Organiser: Kakao Entertainment, the company behind Melon.
This is the 18th Melon Music Awards, and the first held over two days. The KGMA use the same venue one week earlier, on November 7 and 8: our KGMA 2026 guide has the details.
Our K-pop awards calendar has the dates of the other ceremonies of the season.
The lineup by day
26 acts in total: 14 on day 1 and 12 on day 2.
- Day 1, November 14 (14 acts): I.O.I, aespa, NCT DREAM, ATEEZ, YENA, RIIZE, TWS, RESCENE, Hearts2Hearts, Dragon Pony, IDID, AEN, TUIDE and HANA.
- Day 2, November 15 (12 acts): IVE, NCT 127, PLAVE, NCT WISH, ILLIT, KiiiKiii, CORTIS, 82MAJOR, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT, AND2BLE and hrtz.wav.
NCT fans: NCT DREAM performs on day 1. NCT 127 and NCT WISH perform on day 2.
Hosts and award presenters
- Hosts (MCs): not announced as of October 28, 2026.
- Special messenger: YouTuber Mimiminu appears on both days as a “special messenger”, linking the artists and the fans. Mimiminu is not one of the 37 award presenters.
- Award presenters: 37 people, announced on October 23. They include Lee Young-ae, Jang Keun-suk, Lee Do-hyun, Lee Seung-chul, Byun Yo-han and Tiffany Young.
Sources do not agree on who presents on which day, so we do not split the presenters by day.
How to watch MMA2026
- Japan: only on U-NEXT, live. The red carpet starts at 5 PM and the ceremony at 6 PM (Japan time), on both days. It is included in the U-NEXT subscription. There are no subtitles or dubbing. You can watch it again until January 15, 2027, at 11:59 PM (Japan time). U-NEXT says start times may change.
- Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries: Melon says viewers outside Korea can watch the live stream on YouTube, on the Melon or 1theK channels. Some countries are excluded, but the list has not been published, and Melon has not said whether the red carpet is shown on YouTube. As of October 28, no other platform has been announced for Indonesia.
- South Korea: on Melon and on Wavve. Among streaming services, Wavve has the exclusive rights. It shows the red carpet and the ceremony live, and then on demand.
- Taiwan: on TVBS 42 and CATCHPLAY TV.
To keep watching these artists after the show, our fancam ranking has the most-watched fancams of the day from the Korean music shows.
What time does MMA2026 start?
On both days, the red carpet starts at 5 PM and the ceremony at 6 PM, Korean time (KST, UTC+9). Japan has the same time.
By our own conversion:
- Jakarta and Hanoi (UTC+7): red carpet at 3 PM, ceremony at 4 PM.
- Central Europe (UTC+1): red carpet at 9 AM, ceremony at 10 AM.
How to vote for MMA2026
Most fan voting happens on Melon, in two rounds. A few awards have their own vote on other apps.
- TOP10 round (Melon, October 15 to 29, until 11:59 PM KST): paid Melon members get 3 votes a day and free members 1, with new votes every day at midnight KST, and only identity-verified accounts can vote. It counts 60% digital score, 20% judges and 20% fan votes.
- Category round (Melon, October 30 to November 13): KakaoBank Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Best Solo (female and male), Best Group (female and male), Best OST and Best Pop Artist. These count 60% digital score, 20% judges and 20% fan votes.
- TrackZero Choice: 20% digital score, 60% judges and 20% fan votes. As of October 28, Melon had not said when its vote takes place.
- Global TOP10 (new this year): it uses each artist’s cumulative Global-K Chart score from May 11 to October 14, 2026, which counts Melon, Tencent Music and LINE MUSIC equally. It counts 60% chart, 20% judges and 20% fan votes. Fans in Korea vote on Melon and fans outside Korea on the Berriz app. As of October 28, the voting dates had not been published.
- Japan Favorite Artist by U-NEXT: 50% judges and 50% fan votes. Voting is only on U-NEXT, from October 30 at 12 PM to November 13 at 11:59 PM, Japan time. The nominees are CORTIS, ILLIT, IVE, NCT WISH and RIIZE. A U-NEXT account without a monthly plan gets 1 vote a day; monthly plan members (including the free trial) get 3. As of October 28, U-NEXT had not yet explained how to vote. The winner is announced at the show.
- KakaoBank Everyone’s Star: fan votes count for 80%. Voting is in the KakaoBank app, once a day, from October 15 to October 30, for customers with a KakaoBank deposit account or mini account.
All the other awards are decided by the judges.
The rules can change from one round to the next, so follow what the Melon voting page shows you.
Voting for MAMA as well? Our MAMA 2026 voting guide explains it step by step.
Frequently asked questions
When is MMA 2026?
On November 14 and 15, 2026, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. On both days, the red carpet starts at 5 PM and the ceremony at 6 PM, Korea and Japan time.
How can I watch MMA 2026 in Japan?
Only on U-NEXT, live, and included in the subscription. There are no subtitles or dubbing. You can watch it again until January 15, 2027.
How can I watch MMA 2026 online outside Korea?
Live on YouTube, on the Melon or 1theK channels. Some countries are excluded, but the list has not been published. In Japan, it is only on U-NEXT. In Taiwan, it is on TVBS 42 and CATCHPLAY TV.
Who is performing at MMA 2026?
26 acts. Day 1 includes I.O.I, aespa, NCT DREAM, ATEEZ, RIIZE and TWS. Day 2 includes IVE, NCT 127, PLAVE, NCT WISH, ILLIT and CORTIS. The full list is above.
Who hosts MMA 2026?
The hosts had not been announced as of October 28, 2026. YouTuber Mimiminu appears on both days as a “special messenger”, but is not one of the award presenters. 37 award presenters were announced on October 23, among them Lee Young-ae and Tiffany Young.
How do I vote for MMA 2026?
On Melon. TOP10 round: October 15 to 29, until 11:59 PM KST. Category round: October 30 to November 13. Fans outside Korea vote for the Global TOP10 on the Berriz app; its dates had not been published as of October 28. In Japan, the Japan Favorite Artist vote is on U-NEXT, from October 30 to November 13.
Sources
- Melon: MMA2026 official information
- Kakao Entertainment: MMA2026 on November 14 and 15
- The Korea Times: the 26 acts of MMA2026
- Sports Kyunghyang: MMA2026 lineup by day, October 14
- U-NEXT: MMA2026 live stream and Japan Favorite Artist vote (Japanese)
- U-NEXT press release: MMA2026 live stream in Japan, October 15
- Soompi: MMA2026 presenter lineup
- Etoday: the 37 award presenters, October 23 (Korean)
- Xportsnews: Mimiminu as special messenger (Korean)
- Singlelist: MMA2026 worldwide broadcast, October 26 (Korean)
- Topstarnews: MMA2026 TOP10 voting (Korean)
- Geumgang Ilbo: MMA2026 TOP10 voting (Korean)
- Asia Economy: the new Global TOP10, August 13
- Sports Kyunghyang: MMA2026 voting, October 6
- Digital Daily: KakaoBank Everyone’s Star vote (Korean)
- Joongang eNews: KakaoBank Everyone’s Star vote (Korean)