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Something interesting’s come up in the 48Group fan circles recently. A curious fan spotted a trademark application under the name SBY48 on Indonesia’s Intellectual Property Database, and that instantly lit a fire of speculation across online forums.
SBY48—short for Surabaya48, maybe?
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Sounds familiar, right? Fans are now wondering whether this could be a new sister group of AKB48, based in Surabaya, just like JKT48 is based in Jakarta.
The trademark was officially filed on 10 December 2024, registered by a company called PT Ihza Integrated Consulting. Beyond that, there's not much to go on.
No official announcements, no teasers, and certainly no auditions yet.
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The trademark falls under Class 41, which includes categories such as entertainment, radio entertainment, television entertainment, ticket reservation services for concerts, shows, sports events, and theatre performances, organising and holding beauty contests, organising and managing concerts, providing recreational facilities, offering radio and television entertainment services, organising seminars and workshops, scheduling sports matches, rental of decorations, rental of sound recordings, production of videotapes, films, video films, radio and television programmes, stage productions, theatre productions, publicity and publication of books, and scripts/texts excluding published literature.
In the same class, the JKT48 trademark has been registered since 2011, the year the group was formed, with Dentsu Inc. as the applicant.
It is also stated that PT Ihza Integrated Consulting is located in Jakarta, specifically at Prosperity Tower, 5th Floor, Unit I, District 8 @SCBD Lot 28, Sudirman Central Business District, Jl. Jenderal Sudirman kav. 52–53, Senayan, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta Administrative City, DKI Jakarta.
Is this really the start of Indonesia's second official 48Group sister after JKT48?
Or is this something entirely different—maybe even something being lined up by a different faction, like China’s SNH48 Group?
We’ve seen this kind of expansion before.
Thailand, for instance, has both BNK48 in Bangkok and CGM48 in Chiang Mai, making it the first country outside Japan to host two 48Groups.
So it wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Indonesia to follow suit with SBY48 and maybe even BDG48 (Bandung48) down the road.
Actually, the idea of SBY48 has been floating around for years. It’s always been one of those whispered possibilities in the fanbase, especially with Surabaya being such a major city.
If this trademark turns out to be the real deal, then the launch of SBY48 could change the game.
But again—nothing’s been confirmed. It could all just be legal housekeeping, or someone reserving the name for a totally unrelated project.
But in the world of 48Group, rumours like this often end up having some truth in them.
So for now, fans are just watching and waiting. If this is legit, SBY48 could bring fresh energy to the local idol scene and possibly open doors for even more regional groups like BDG48 in the future.
For now, it’s just a name on a database—but it's got everyone talking.
Q: Is SBY48 officially confirmed?
No, there's been no formal announcement yet.
Q: Who registered the trademark?
PT Ihza Integrated Consulting on 10 December 2024.
Q: Could SBY48 be a sister group to JKT48?
Possibly. It might also be a project related to the SNH48 branch or something completely new.
Q: What about BDG48?
Rumours say BDG48 in Bandung may follow if SBY48 proves successful.