'Marry My Husband' Webtoon Surges in Popularity Due to Drama... Transaction Volume Increases 17-Fold

As webtoon and web novel-based dramas gain popularity, there is a virtuous cycle effect with a surge of interest in the original works.

Naver Webtoon announced on the 16th that the webtoon "Marry My Husband" saw its total transaction amount increase by 17.1 times and total views increase by 7.1 times within 10 days after the drama was released on January 1st.

Webtoon 'Marry My Husband' Image [Image provided by Naver Webtoon]

"Marry My Husband," which has accumulated 810 million views, is a webtoon produced by LICO, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, based on the original web novel of the same name. The story follows the protagonist Kang Ji-won, who is betrayed by her husband having an affair with her friend and faces death, then returns to the past to take revenge and live a new life.

After the drama was released on the online video streaming (OTT) service TVING on January 1st, the webtoon's views and transaction amounts surged. According to Naver Webtoon, the total transaction amount for the 10 days after the drama aired (January 1?10, 2024) increased 17.1 times compared to the 10 days before airing (December 22?31, 2023). Views also increased significantly by 8.1 times during the same period.

Thailand showed the highest growth rate, with transaction amounts increasing 55.4 times and views increasing 36.2 times during the same period, showing the largest change. "Marry My Husband" is currently available in 10 languages.

Previously, the drama "Mask Girl," released globally through Netflix OTT, attracted worldwide attention by ranking first in the non-English TV show category in Netflix’s global top 10 content rankings from its first week. After "Mask Girl" was released on Netflix, the original work’s transaction amount increased 166 times in 10 days compared to the 10 days before airing, and views also increased 121 times during the same period, establishing a formula where the original work gains renewed popularity through video adaptation.

Meanwhile, starting with "Marry My Husband," more than 30 webtoons from Naver Webtoon are scheduled to be adapted into videos this year. Notably, Netflix’s "The 8 Show," based on Money Game, is set to be released globally this year, and various lineups such as "Killer’s Shopping List," "True Beauty," and "Tower of God Season 2" are also in production.

No Seung-yeon, head of Naver Webtoon, said, "As various popular works are being produced through Naver Webtoon’s global ecosystem, the genres of adapted works are also diversifying. As works serialized worldwide on global platforms are adapted into videos, a virtuous cycle structure has been established where they reach a broader audience."