NAVER Webtoon Ranks No.1 in Southeast Asia, Naver-backed Tappytoon Ranks No. 2
NAVER Webtoon Ranks No.1 in Southeast Asia, Naver-backed Tappytoon Ranks No. 2
NAVER Webtoon Ranks No.1 in Southeast Asia, NAVER-backed Tappytoon Ranks No. 2
- With 12 million monthly active users, NAVER is leading the popularization of Webtoons in Southeast Asia
- NAVER Webtoon ranks No.1 in users and sales on Google Play cartoon category in Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan, while NAVER-backed Tappytoon ranks No. 2
- NAVER is cultivating the Webtoon ecosystem by discovering local creators through Canvas, NAVER Webtoon’s self-publishing platform
- NAVER is planning to strengthen content competitiveness by connecting IPs discovered in various countries around the world
2021-06-13
NAVER Webtoon announced today that its monthly active users (MAU) exceeded 12 million in Southeast Asia in May, making it the most popular and profitable platform for online comics in the region.
Since expanding into the global market in 2014, starting with the United States and Taiwan and followed by Thailand and Indonesia, NAVER Webtoon has gained popularity and profitability in Southeast Asia.
NAVER Webtoon’s monthly active users in Indonesia reaches 6.9 million in Indonesia, 3.5 million in Thailand and 1.5 million in Taiwan, which is 12 million in total. In May, NAVER Webtoon was also found to have the largest number of users in three countries based on the Google Play cartoon category, according to App Annie, a leading provider of mobile data and analytics.
NAVER Webtoon is also showing outstanding profitability, having enhanced its business model by offering a ‘Daily Pass’ to view the full version of content and ‘Fast Pass’ to view a preview, based on the number of loyal users. In terms of app sales, NAVER Webtoon also ranked No. 1 in Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan. In Thailand, it ranked No. 4 in Google Play app sales overall (excluding game apps) in May.
Contents First’s Tappytoon, which is backed by NAVER Webtoon, ranked No. 2 in the number of users in Indonesia and Thailand. Tappytoon is a global Webtoon platform that serves 4 million users in 190 countries. NAVER Webtoon acquired 25% of Contents First’s shares in March to secure business partnerships and content.
NAVER’s robust creative content ecosystem has helped it grow the biggest userbase and highest sales in Southeast Asia. The platform has introduced translations of popular content from Korea, such as “True Beauty,” “The Remarried Empress” and “Teenage Mercenary,” to grow its global audience. NAVER has also continued to cultivate amateur creators worldwide through Canvas, its open self-publishing platform.
In Canvas, which is called ‘Challenge Cartoon’ in Korea, anyone can become an official serial writer if their skills are recognized. Works that reflect the local culture and sensibilities from all over the world are constantly being created by these writers.
With its cross-border platform competitiveness, NAVER Webtoon will continue to develop its content capabilities to solidify its No. 1 position in Southeast Asia. While strengthening local content output, the company also plans to continuously adapt the most popular local content for other markets and languages.
“In addition to Thailand, where NAVER Webtoon has already established itself as the most familiar Webtoon platform for users and creators, Indonesia and Taiwan are trending well in terms of transaction value,” said Hana Cha, Head of Global Webtoon SEA. “With NAVER’s robust creative ecosystem and strong competitiveness, we will maintain our standing as the best platform for Southeast Asia creators to show their best work.”
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