Naver's 'Webtoon, Snow, V Live' Soars Globally

Webtoon Monthly Users 60 Million · Snow 242 Million · V LIVE Downloads Approaching 100 Million

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Naver is accelerating its global expansion based on webtoons, Snow, and V Live.

According to the IT industry on the 29th, Naver Webtoon, which has established a solid webtoon ecosystem, is the global number one operator with 60 million monthly active users (MAU). Last year, Naver Webtoon's global content transaction volume is estimated to have reached 600 billion KRW. Naver Webtoon is expected to take a more aggressive approach to global expansion this year. In December last year, Line Webtoon, Naver Webtoon's global service, surpassed 10 million MAU in the North American region. This indicates that the new content called 'webtoon' has been introduced to the North American market and that there is potential for the webtoon industry to make a full-fledged leap locally. Additionally, Naver Webtoon actively targeted the European market by consecutively launching French and Spanish versions of Line Webtoon.

Naver's subsidiary Snow is also performing well in the global market. The MAU of five camera apps developed by Snow, including Snow, B612, and Foodie, has exceeded 242 million, with cumulative downloads surpassing 1 billion. The cumulative number of subscribers to 'Zepeto,' developed by Snow, has reached 108 million. Zepeto is a platform that creates avatars using advanced technologies such as 3D and augmented reality (AR), and it has gained high popularity worldwide, ranking first in app markets in more than 30 countries globally within four months of its launch. Notably, about 92% of overseas users are aged 13 to 18, making it one of the favorite apps among Generation Z.

Naver's global live community platform, V Live, is also approaching 100 million downloads. Currently recording 80 million downloads, V Live is a global service with 30 million monthly users, of which more than 80% are overseas users.

Last year, 'Fanship,' a global membership platform launched by V Live, has been released in more than 60 versions with participation from overseas stars including those from Vietnam. Furthermore, V Live has recently diversified its platform by consecutively launching VR apps and smart TV-exclusive apps. An industry official said, "Naver's advanced technological capabilities and planning skills that quickly grasp IT trends are key competitive advantages in the global market," adding, "Naver's global growth potential is expected to increase further this year."