Naver Webtoon Surpasses 3 Billion KRW Daily Transaction Amount for Paid Content... Industry First

Global MAU Surpasses 65 Million... 1 Million Increase in Two Months
Annual Transaction Volume Expected to Reach 1 Trillion Won Sooner Than Anticipated

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Naver Webtoon announced on the 7th that, as of the 2nd, it became the first in the industry to surpass 3 billion KRW in daily transaction amount for global paid content. Since surpassing 2 billion KRW in daily transactions last August, it has shown a steep growth curve by exceeding 3 billion KRW in just one year.

Naver Webtoon's global monthly active users (MAU) in July exceeded 65 million, increasing by over 1 million users in just two months. As the global user base expands, payment indicators are also rising, continuing a virtuous cycle.

In its Q2 earnings announcement on the 30th of last month, Naver Webtoon revealed that global transaction volume in Q2 grew 57% compared to the same period last year. In the U.S., the number of loyal users doubled year-over-year, and the payment amount per paying user increased by nearly 50%. Naver Webtoon had already recorded 70 billion KRW in monthly global paid content transactions in May.

Naver Webtoon explained, "Based on the global creative ecosystem, cross-country content distribution is accelerating. When creators from each country create content in their native language on Naver Webtoon, the works are translated into various languages worldwide and released globally."

Works discovered locally in the U.S., such as 'Lore Olympus' and 'Sub Zero,' are ranking high among popular webtoons mainly in Western countries like France and Spain. In Korea, web novel titles on Naver Series such as 'Omniscient Reader' and 'The Remarried Empress' are driving paid transactions, and through webtoon adaptations, a structure enabling global distribution again is being established, so the growth trend is expected to continue.

Naver Webtoon plans to expand synergy among global platforms through governance restructuring centered on the U.S. and grow into a core content platform holding high-quality intellectual property (IP) in the global entertainment market. At the Analyst Day held on the 1st of last month, it set a target of 800 billion KRW for paid content transaction volume this year. Following the achievement of 800 billion KRW in annual transaction volume this year, it is expected that the timeline for reaching 1 trillion KRW can be advanced.