2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards: When & where to watch on May 16-17; full lineup, nominees and more

The 2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards (ASEA) are back to charm the audiences around the world!

Set to be held this weekend on May 16 and 17 at the Belluna Dome in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, the show will see MONSTA X’s Hyungwon and IVE’s Rei joining forces as the main hosts on Day 1.

Both K-pop icons will be reprising their MC duties for the second consecutive time after previously making the most of these roles on separate days last year. Their return to the big stage was inevitable, given how they won the viewership over with their witty hosting skills.

Fellow K-pop idol Max Changmin, often crowned a “Living Legend” of the K-entertainment industry, will also elevate the award ceremony‘s relevance by stepping out as a presenter. Countless powerhouse performers from South Korea and Japan have taken on the responsibility to showcase spell-binding stage productions, as deserving artists who have made grave contributions to the Asian entertainment industry this past year score massive victories.

When and where to watch Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2026: Live streaming details

This year’s ceremony, featuring a star-studded lineup of Korean actors, singers, and other Asian entertainers, will be livestreamed online for the global audience over the weekend.

According to the ASEA 2026 Online Live Stream Guide, K-wave enthusiasts may tune into Naver’s video streaming service CHZZK, Naver TV (international), and U-Next (Japan) on May 16 and 17, 2026.

The live event will kick off with a red carpet segment at 2 pm KST (10:30 am IST), which will be followed by the main ceremony at 5:30 pm KST (2 pm IST). The same schedule will be followed on Saturday and Sunday.

2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards lineup

On Day 1 (Saturday) of ASEA 2026, labelmates MONSTA X’s Hyungwon and IVE’s Rei will come forward as the main hosts of the night. Meanwhile, TVXQ’s Max Changmin and K-drama icon Lee Sung Kyung will take over the MC duties the following day.

Asia Star Entertainer Awards presenters and performers

Presenters: South Korean stars Lee Junho and Go Youn Jung, and Japanese actor Akasaka Akira will serve as presenters on Day 1, May 16. Breakout actor Lee Chae Min, who recently snagged the Best New Actor (TV) title at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards, will take on the responsibility of presenting an award on the second day, May 17.

Performers: Asian music acts ENHYPEN, &TEAM, IDID, VVUP, FRUITS ZIPPER, CANDY TUNE, SWEET STEADY, CUTIE STREET, Kimura Misa, DXTEEN, Kyoka, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, and Sato Atsuhiro will leave audiences across the world starstruck with their performances on Saturday.

Thereafter, ATEEZ, Hearts2Hearts, NOWZ, xikers, THE RAMPAGE, Wonho, Kwon Eunbi, Ikuta Tom, and WILD BLUE will continue charming viewers with their electrifying presentations on Sunday.

2026 Asia Star Entertainer Awards nominees

In the lead-up to the two-day live ceremony, ASEA officials announced the Top 5 ranks across several fan-voted categories. Here are the top contenders for the Fan Choice Couple, Fan Choice Actress, Fan Choice Actor, Fan Choice Singer, and other awards. The final voting round for ‘The Best’ category remained open until May 10, whereas voting for the ‘Fan Choice’ category is still open till May 17.

Best Male Group