WEBTOON Entertainment Celebrates Global 10th Anniversary in the US and Taiwan
Since launching its international expansion 10 years ago, WEBTOON Entertainment’s US and Taiwan businesses have created a powerful IP & Creator ecosystem that has delivered hits online, and in comics, print, film, and TV.
Tenth anniversary celebrations included a WEBTOON Summer Party in Taiwan and a slate of activities at San Diego Comic-Con in the US.
SEOUL - WEBTOON Entertainment, a leading global entertainment company and home to some of the world's largest storytelling platforms, marked its global 10th anniversary in the US and Taiwan with a series of events to celebrate the incredible international Creators and content on the platform. With a WEBTOON Summer Party in Taiwan and a slate of activities at San Diego Comic-Con in the US, WEBTOON’s global 10 Year Anniversary programming highlights the company’s role in reshaping the comics industry for fans and creators alike.
Founded in Korea in 2005, WEBTOON first launched its English and Chinese services in 2014. To commemorate the anniversary milestone, WEBTOON’s US team programmed a series of panel and creator appearances at San Diego Comic-Con from July 25 to 28, showcasing its 10th anniversary in the US and the influence of its IP and Creator ecosystem on the comics and entertainment industry.
During the four day event, WEBTOON’s programming explored key industry topics alongside important partners like Skybound Entertainment, The Jim Henson Company, Oscar-winner Diablo Cody, and Dark Horse Comics. Panels also featured globally popular WEBTOON creators Snailords, creator of “Freaking Romance”; uru-chan, creator of “unOrdinary”; and Meredith Moriarty, creator of “Third Shift Society.”
In Taiwan, LINE WEBTOON hosted an exclusive WEBTOON Summer Party from July 20 to 21, where fans had the opportunity to meet popular creators Yaongyi of "True Beauty" and Seonwook Jeon, the creator behind "Free Draw."
"It's been ten years since I debuted as a creator, and when I started, I didn't think I could make money from drawing webcomics. Thanks to WEBTOON's revenue share system, I was able to earn more money than I could have ever imagined. I'm honored and grateful to have met so many global fans," said Seonwook Jeon.
Since its Chinese services launch in 2014, LINE WEBTOON has become the leading webcomic platform in the region, fostering a new generation of creators and stories that resonate globally. Local titles are behind a growing number of hit films, TV shows, and games with upcoming adaptations of Taiwanese titles such as "Black Box," and "If We Hadn't Met.”
Mlizard, the creator of "If We Hadn't Met,” the first Taiwanese webcomic to have both TV series and movie rights sold simultaneously, spoke about the experience, "WEBTOON's Canvas, contests, and creator development programs are providing great opportunities for aspiring webcomic creators in Taiwan."
In the US, WEBTOON is the number one[3] webcomic platform, and the company has also established a growing footprint in Hollywood. With series and film adaptations like l "Boot Camp," from the Wattpad webnovel of the same name, and the upcoming adaptations of "Lore Olympus" and "Gremory Land," WEBTOON has expanded its IP & Creator Ecosystem to new mediums and markets since entering the US in 2014.
With an innovative and diverse range of Creator monetization opportunities, WEBTOON has paid out a total of $2.8 billion USD to global creators from 2017 to 2023, and the top 100 creators earn an average of $1 million USD each.
[1] In the year ended December 31, 2023.
[2] Source: Data.ai (http://data.ai/), a mobile app market data analytics platform, ranked the platform #1 in cumulative revenue and monthly active users from January to June 2024.
[3] Source: Data.ai (http://data.ai/), a mobile app market data analytics platform, ranked the platform #1 in revenue and monthly active user as of June 2024.