As previously reported, BTS collects its third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Map of the Soul: Persona. The set launches with 230,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 18, according to Nielsen Music – a career-best week for the South Korean pop group in terms of units earned.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new April 27-dated chart (where Persona enters at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on April 23.
Some acts take years to accumulate three No. 1 albums, but for BTS, the group needed just under 11 months, starting with its first No. 1, Love Yourself: Tear (June 2, 2018-dated chart), continuing through its second No. 1, Love Yourself: Answer (Sept. 8, 2018), and now with Persona (April 27, 2019).