M Countdown
M Countdown is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. 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 various celebrity emcees through the years. As of March 2025, M Countdown is hosted by Sung Han-bin of Zerobaseone and Myung Jae-hyun of BoyNextDoor.
Broadcast
M Countdown airs live on domestic television at 6PM KST every Thursday. 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. 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.
Segments
Current segments on the show include Cha-Cha-Cha, MCD Dance Challenge, MCD Vocal Challenge, Storage M, and M Studio. Discontinued segments formerly aired include: B'SHOP, MCD Drama, MCD News, and MCD Ranking.Official hosts
- Leeteuk and Shindong, with Kangin
- Leeteuk, Shindong, and Eunhyuk
- 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
- Tony Ahn and Shin So-yul
- Lee Hong-gi
- Kim Woo-bin
- Ahn Jae-hyun and Jung Joon-young
- Lee Jung-shin, Key, BamBam and Park Jin-young
- Lee Jung-shin and Key
- Key
- Daehwi and Han Hyun-min
- Miyeon and Nam Yoon-su
- Miyeon
- Miyeon and Joohoney
- Miyeon
- Miyeon and Sung Han-bin
- Sung Han-bin
- Sung Han-bin, Sohee, and Myung Jae-hyun
- Sung Han-bin and Myung Jae-hyun
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. 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.
Between April 2018 and March 2019, the show was hosted by a "Global MC Crew" of idols who spoke various foreign languages.
''M Countdown'' chart
Chart rankings are calculated by combining the following for a total of 12,000 points:- Digital music sales from Circle
- Social media points from YouTube and short form content from various platforms.
- Album sales data from Circle
- Global fan votes via Mnet Plus
- Mnet broadcast points
- Live-vote
Songs can win a maximum of three times before being removed from the chart.
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. After that, it becomes ineligible for first place and is removed from the chart. The following is a list of all songs that have achieved a triple crown on M Countdown from 2008 to present.Achievements by artists
Most No. 1 winners| Rank | Artist | Count |
| 1st | Twice | 25 |
| 2nd | Big Bang | 24 |
| 3rd | Exo | 20 |
| 4th | Girls' Generation | 18 |
| 5th | Red Velvet | 17 |
| 6th | BTS | 16 |
| 6th | Seventeen | 16 |
| 6th | Blackpink | 16 |
| 7th | 2NE1 | 15 |
| 7th | I-dle | 15 |
| 8th | 2PM | 14 |
| 8th | Beast/Highlight | 14 |
| 8th | Itzy | 14 |
Most Triple Crowns
| Rank | Artist | Count |
| 1st | Exo | 5 songs |
| 2nd | Big Bang | 4 songs |
| 2nd | Blackpink | 4 songs |
| 3rd | 2PM | 3 songs |
| 3rd | Girls' Generation | 3 songs |
| 3rd | Psy | 3 songs |
| 4th | 2NE1 | 2 songs |
| 4th | G-Dragon | 2 songs |
| 4th | f | 2 songs |
| 4th | Super Junior | 2 songs |
| 4th | Beast/Highlight | 2 songs |
| 4th | TVXQ | 2 songs |
| 4th | Taeyang | 2 songs |
| 4th | Shinhwa | 2 songs |
| 4th | GFriend | 2 songs |
| 4th | iKon | 2 songs |
| 4th | Itzy | 2 songs |
| 4th | BTS | 2 songs |
| 4th | V | 2 songs |
| 4th | Jungkook | 2 songs |
| 4th | I-dle | 2 songs |
| 4th | Le Sserafim | 2 songs |
Top 10 Highest Scores July 29, 2004 – March 3, 2011
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | 2NE1 | "I Don't Care" | 981.3 | August 13, 2009 |
| 2nd | 2NE1 | "I Don't Care" | 979.8 | August 6, 2009 |
| 3rd | 2NE1 | "I Don't Care" | 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 March 10, 2011 – August 23, 2012
Scoring 7th System: Digital Single Sales, Album Sales, Asia/Global Fan Vote, Preferences of Music Experts, Real-Time Charts, SMS Vote
Scoring 8th System: Digital Single Sales, Album Sales, Global Fan Vote, Mnet Broadcasting, Preferences of Music Experts, Real-Time Charts, SMS Vote
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | CNBLUE | "Intuition" | 9,654 | April 7, 2011 |
| 2nd | Girls' Generation-TTS | "Twinkle" | 9,357 | May 17, 2012 |
| 3rd | Girls' Generation-TTS | "Twinkle" | 9,355 | May 10, 2012 |
| 4th | Kara | "Step" | 9,314 | September 22, 2011 |
| 5th | f | "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 August 30, 2012 – February 20, 2014
Scoring System: Digital Single Sales, Album Sales, Age Preference, Global Fan Vote, Live Show Preferences, SMS Vote
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | Girls' Generation | "I Got a Boy" | 10,000 | January 10, 2013 |
| 2nd | Girls' Generation | "I Got a Boy" | 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 | Busker Busker | "Love, at first" | 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 February 27, 2014 – June 4, 2015
Scoring System: Digital Single Sales, Album Sales, Social Media Points, Preference Points, Mnet Broadcast Points, SMS Votes
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | Girls' Generation | "Mr.Mr." | 10,000 | March 13, 2014 |
| 2nd | f | "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 " | 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 June 11, 2015 – April 12, 2018
Scoring System: Digital Music Sales, Album Sales, Social Media Score, Popularity Score, Mnet Broadcast Score + SMS Voting Score
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | Exo | "Power" | 11,000 | September 14, 2017 |
| 1st | BTS | "DNA" | 11,000 | September 28, 2017 |
| 2nd | Girls' Generation | "Lion Heart" | 10,988 | September 3, 2015 |
| 3rd | Girls' Generation | "Lion Heart" | 10,961 | September 10, 2015 |
| 4th | Taeyeon | "I" | 10,929 | October 15, 2015 |
| 5th | Red Velvet | "Rookie" | 10,903 | February 16, 2017 |
| 6th | Red Velvet | "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 | Wanna One | "Boomerang" | 10,805 | March 29, 2018 |
| 10th | Twice | "Heart Shaker" | 10,776 | December 21, 2017 |
Top 10 Highest Scores April 26, 2018 – May 21, 2020
Scoring System: Digital Music Sales, Album Sales, Social Media Score, Global Fan Votes, Mnet Broadcast Score, SMS Live Vote
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | BTS | "Fake Love" | 11,000 | May 31, 2018 |
| 1st | Shinee | "I Want You" | 11,000 | June 21, 2018 |
| 1st | BTS | "Boy with Luv" | 11,000 | April 25, 2019 |
| 1st | Twice | "Fancy" | 11,000 | May 2, 2019 |
| 1st | NU'EST | "Bet Bet" | 11,000 | May 9, 2019 |
| 1st | BTS | "On" | 11,000 | March 5, 2020 |
| 1st | NU'EST | "I'm in Trouble" | 11,000 | 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 May 28, 2020 – April 7, 2022
Scoring System: Digital Sales, Album Sales, Social Media, Global Fan Vote, Mnet Broadcast, Live Vote
| 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 | 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 April 14, 2022 – January 4, 2024
Scoring System: Digital Sales, Album Sales, Social Media, Global Fan Vote, Mnet Broadcast, Live Vote
| 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 January 11, 2024–present
Scoring System: Digital Sales, Album Sales, Global Social Media Buzz, Global Fan Vote, Mnet Broadcast, Live Vote
| Rank | Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| 1st | Seventeen | "Thunder" | 10,567 | June 5, 2025 |
| 2nd | Nmixx | "See That?" | 10,293 | August 29, 2024 |
| 3rd | Fromis 9 | "Supersonic" | 9,953 | August 22, 2024 |
| 4th | BoyNextDoor | "If I Say, I Love You" | 9,500 | January 16, 2025 |
| 5th | TWS | "Countdown" | 9,461 | May 1, 2025 |
| 6th | Le Sserafim | "Easy" | 9,428 | February 29, 2024 |
| 7th | Nmixx | "Dash" | 9,338 | January 25, 2024 |
| 8th | Jisoo | "Earthquake" | 9,266 | February 27, 2025 |
| 9th | NCT Wish | "Poppop" | 9,208 | April 24, 2025 |
| 10th | Jimin | "Who" | 8,907 | August 8, 2024 |
Top 10 Highest Scores
| Artist | Song | Score | Date |
| Exo | "Power" | 11,000 | September 14, 2017 |
| BTS | "DNA" | 11,000 | September 28, 2017 |
| BTS | "Fake Love" | 11,000 | May 31, 2018 |
| Shinee | "I Want You" | 11,000 | June 21, 2018 |
| BTS | "Boy with Luv" | 11,000 | April 25, 2019 |
| Twice | "Fancy" | 11,000 | May 2, 2019 |
| NU'EST | "Bet Bet" | 11,000 | May 9, 2019 |
| BTS | "On" | 11,000 | March 5, 2020 |
| NU'EST | "I'm in Trouble" | 11,000 | May 21, 2020 |
| BTS | "Yet to Come" | 11,000 | June 23, 2022 |