Tag: WEBTOON

Bangkok, Thailand – South Korean webtoon production production company Contents Lab. Blue has announced the establishment of a local branch in Thailand to make webtoons solely for Thailand, as well as localising other existing webtoons.

In addition, they plan to develop new content and train artists. Based on their continuous successes within the Korean market, Contents Lab. Blue has founded the Thailand branch and is making the branch a foundation for an expansion into the global market.

Chanil Kim, director of the global division at Contents Lab. Blue said that they expect the founding of the Thailand branch would have a large effect on differentiating their webtoon production environment and process from others.

“With the assistance of this differentiation, we will maximise work efficiency and emphasise localisation works that are based on culture, language and sentimentality, and we plan to present content that is tailored solely for Thailand,” she added.

Furthermore, the company plans to diversify its content by means of launching various popular Korean webtoons and developing and securing foreign IPs. They have also proposed that they will lead the establishment of a global webtoon ecosystem by building infrastructure through active investments, promoting the discovery of content within Thailand and training amateur artists.

Meanwhile, Contents Lab. Blue’s CEO Youngto Go, added, “We have prepared a basic structure for international business expansion through the founding of Thailand and Japan branches. Based on this foothold, we will not only achieve outstanding results but also continuously extend our influence within the global market.”

Seoul, South Korea – WEBTOON, global graphic novels digital platform, has announced that it will be releasing a series of teaser trailers featuring the iconic boy band BTS, ahead of the launch of its new webcomic 7FATES: CHAKHO, The webcomics is set for release on 14 January. 

7FATES: CHAKHO revolves around the fates of seven intertwined young men. The first teaser will be rolled out on 24 December featuring the BTS member Jin. WEBTOON said it will be posting teaser trailers daily across its social media that will feature one BTS star until January. 

The webcomics is in partnership with entertainment company HYBE. The collaboration between the two is part of WEBTOON’s previously announced Super Casting campaign, a group of global partnerships that bring some of the world’s most exciting entertainment companies to WEBTOON. Super Casting allows major entertainment brands to work with WEBTOON and maximize the IP value chain across platforms and formats. 

Also launching today, 26 December, is WEBTOON x BTS, an event webcomic that will give fans access to behind-the-scenes BTS content. Each of the seven WEBTOON x BTS episodes will focus on a member of the band and can be found exclusively on the official WEBTOON app. 

HYBE and WEBTOON are set to release the project on January 14 through the WEBTOON app and it is also available on Wattpad. 

Los Angeles, United States – Media conglomerate company Naver has announced today the merger of its social storytelling platform arm Wattpad and digital comics platform arm WEBTOON’s studio divisions to create Wattpad WEBTOON Studios – an entertainment studio that creates data-driven TV shows, films, and books.

The merger, which has a US$100m budget for the development and production financing, comes after Naver’s recent acquisition of Wattpad. By uniting the two platforms’ entertainment divisions, Naver’s global leadership in IP, digital comics, and web novels will continue to bolster.

Through the new Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, WEBTOON Studios’ expertise will be uniting with Wattpad Studios’ data-backed, audience-driven approach, to unlock their full potential in growing a roster of superstar creators and fandoms in every genre.

According to Naver, Wattpad WEBTOON Studios has already more than 100 projects in the pipeline for development or production and will be hitting screens everywhere. 

Aron Levitz will be the president of Wattpad WEBTOON Studios and his team will include Taylor Grant, the lead of WEBTOON entertainment portfolio, Eric Lehrman, the lead of Wattpad entertainment portfolio, and Ashleigh Gardner, the publishing head, as well as Dexter Ong, the international business lead.

Levitz shared that they are bringing a new era of diverse voices and incredible IP to audiences and industry looking for both and they are looking to the future, with hundreds of millions of new stories to power the next 100 years of hits on screens and bookshelves.

WEBTOON’s Founder and CEO Jun Koo Kim said that the team at Wattpad WEBTOON Studios is developing IP across formats, building franchises, and nurturing the fandoms that power them, and they are doing it with a fully global perspective from Day One. 

“Combining local market expertise and audience data, Wattpad WEBTOON Studios can create local hits with regional partners or develop with a global audience in mind,” said Kim.

Meanwhile, Wattpad’s CEO and Co-Founder Allen Lau commented, “We are thrilled to combine WEBTOON and Wattpad’s IP leadership to create the world’s first truly modern studio.”