Naver and Netflix Hold Meetup
Synergy Created by Combining Naver's Platform and Netflix's Content
Netflix: "Rare Case of Full-Fledged Collaboration with Another Company"
New Membership Sign-ups Increase Shopping Spending by 30%
Over 60% of New Subscribers Are in Their 30s and 40s
When Naver Plus Membership subscribers were offered a service allowing them to watch Netflix for free?a service that would normally cost 5,500 KRW per month?the average daily number of new Naver Plus Membership subscribers increased by about 1.5 times. Netflix also saw a positive effect, with greater diversity among its users in terms of age and gender.
On the afternoon of the 28th, Naver and Netflix held the 'Naver Netflix Meetup' at Naver Square Jongno in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where they shared these results.
On the afternoon of the 28th, attending the 'Naver Netflix Meetup' session held at Naver Square Jongno in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are Bonjung Koo, Netflix Marketing Partnership Manager; Yunjung Choi, Director of Business Development; Hanna Jung, Naver Membership Leader; and Eunbin Na, Marketing Lead (from left). Provided by Naver
Since November last year, Naver has enabled Naver Plus Membership members, who pay a monthly fee of 4,900 KRW, to use the Netflix Ad-Supported Standard Plan (valued at 5,500 KRW per month) at no additional cost. The Netflix Ad-Supported Standard Plan offers full HD quality, simultaneous access for two users, unlimited mobile games, and content downloads, all with ads appearing during content playback. Members who wish to watch Netflix content without ads can do so by paying an extra fee.
Attending the event were Hanna Jung, Naver Membership Leader, and Eunbin Na, Naver Marketing Lead. From Netflix, Yunjung Choi, Director of Business Development, and Bonjung Koo, Marketing Partnership Manager, were present.
The two companies decided to collaborate in order to create synergy by combining Naver's platform accessibility with Netflix's content. As an example, they cited last year's popular Netflix variety show 'Black and White Chef.' Users who watched Black and White Chef searched for the restaurants run by the show's cast on Naver to make reservations or looked up recipes on blogs. Jung commented, "We believed that combining Naver's high accessibility with Netflix's content impact could further enhance the tangible benefits felt by membership users in their daily lives."
Choi also explained, "In Netflix's own surveys, users chose Naver as their most preferred collaboration partner." She emphasized, "Netflix has a standard of providing a consistent user experience worldwide for brand consistency. Globally, cases of collaborating with other companies for both sign-up and service use, as with Naver Plus Membership, are extremely rare."
The effects of the partnership are evident in the numbers. According to Naver, since the partnership with Netflix, the average daily number of new Naver Plus Membership subscribers has increased by about 1.5 times compared to before. As the number of users grew, Naver's shopping service also saw positive results. New subscribers who chose Netflix increased their shopping spending by more than 30% compared to before joining. Notably, people in their 30s and 40s, who are highly engaged digitally and have strong purchasing power, accounted for more than 60% of new subscribers.
Netflix also experienced greater diversity among its users after partnering with Naver. According to Netflix, the number of male users increased, and the proportion of viewers aged 35 to 49 also grew. Choi stated, "Users newly joining Netflix through Naver are not just seeking new content or specific genres?they are displaying usage patterns of enjoying a wide variety of content."
On the afternoon of the 28th, attending the 'Naver Netflix Meetup' session held at Naver Square Jongno in Jongno-gu, Seoul, were Bonjung Koo, Netflix Marketing Partnership Manager; Yunjung Choi, Director of Business Development; Hanna Jung, Naver Membership Leader; and Eunbin Na, Marketing Lead (from left). Provided by Naver
There was also mention of an episode related to 'Nenet' marketing. Na commented, "'Nenet,' the abbreviation of both companies' names, is easy for users to recognize and pronounce, which helped many people quickly become aware of it. It has even become a naming that other partners collaborating with Naver want to have." In particular, the 'Nenet Marketing Campaign,' which used the signature colors of both companies, won the '2025 Good Advertisement Award Chosen by Consumers' in March.
Plans for further strengthening user benefits and expanding partnerships were also discussed. Choi said, "This collaboration is a rare form of partnership even globally, and we expect many more collaborations in the future. Netflix is considering various ways to match users' lifestyles, and this will include a variety of partnerships." Jung also stated, "Based on our experience collaborating with Netflix, we plan to introduce various initiatives within this year to further enhance the usability and benefits of Naver Membership."
During the Q&A session, questions were raised about the terms of the partnership. The question was whether offering benefits through Naver Plus Membership, which is cheaper than a Netflix subscription, might impact revenue. In response, Choi said, "If the contract were one-sidedly favorable to only one party, it could not have been established in the first place. While we cannot disclose detailed contract terms, this is just one of many ways to access Netflix, and it is meaningful for both companies."
When asked whether the partnership with Naver led to an increase in Netflix subscribers, she replied, "We do not disclose specific subscriber numbers, but globally, 55% of new subscribers are currently choosing the ad-supported plan, and Naver Plus Membership has been a great help in promoting the ad-supported plan."
There was also a question about the differences from the Tving subscription previously offered through Naver Plus Membership. Until the partnership with Netflix, Naver provided access to Tving, but the maximum quality was limited to HD (720p) and original content could not be viewed. Jung explained, "The contract with Tving expired, so we ended the partnership. At the time of the Tving partnership, Naver Plus Membership was in its early stages, but now, having secured a user base, partnering with the number one online video service (OTT) in Korea has produced different results."
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