What is the title of BTS's first reality show that aired in 2013?

BTS’s first reality show, which aired in 2013, was titled Rookie King: Channel Bangtan. The Korean title is often translated as Rookie King: Channel Bangtan or Rookie King: Bangtan.

The show premiered on September 3, 2013, only a few months after BTS made its official debut. Broadcast on SBS MTV, it placed the newly debuted group in comic sketches, games, challenges, and parody segments modeled on familiar television formats. The members were able to show their personalities outside music performances, helping early viewers distinguish the seven members.

Rookie King is often confused with BTS’s later unscripted programs. Run BTS began in 2015 as a recurring web variety series, Bon Voyage followed in 2016 as a travel show, and In the SOOP began in 2020 as a retreat-style series. Those programs became much more internationally visible, but they were not the group’s first reality or variety program.

The timing also matters: BTS debuted in June 2013, and Rookie King arrived that September. It therefore belongs to the group’s earliest television history, before the larger global breakthrough associated with releases such as The Most Beautiful Moment in Life and Wings.