WEBTOON today revealed that on-platform payments to English-language creators have surpassed USD $27 million since 2020.* Since launching its first US creator-monetization program in 2019, creator payments have increased by more than 75%, as WEBTOON continues to build a Creator Economy for digital comic artists.
Supported by a growing number of creator monetization programs, WEBTOON has paid out an average of more than USD $1 million to English-language creators every month since 2020. WEBTOON offers multiple avenues for creators to earn money on the platform, from ad-sharing and on-platform purchases, to CANVAS Creator Rewards, and Originals contracts. Originals Creators receive generous advances and guaranteed minimum earnings. The company will also launch a new tipping system for CANVAS Creators this year, expanding the ways for fans to reward creators directly on WEBTOON. With a robust international localization program, WEBTOON creators are also eligible to have their work translated and localized for new markets, expanding their fanbase and earning opportunities.
WEBTOON has pioneered the growing Creator Economy for digital comic artists in the US, first establishing a local creator monetization program in 2019. After connecting a diverse new generation of comic creators with millions of fans around the world, the move allowed thousands of creators to begin monetizing their content on the platform. WEBTOON enables comic creators to reach a global audience of 82 million comic-lovers on the platform, build a global fandom for their work, and make money in multiple ways.
“WEBTOON creators are some of the most talented, creative, and captivating in the history of comics,” said Ken Kim, CEO of WEBTOON Americas. “Our storytelling technology platform supports every type of creator, allowing them to build a global audience and make money from their work. In a time when comics have never been more popular, we’re incredibly proud of the growing Creator Economy and ecosystem we’ve built to celebrate and support WEBTOON creators.”
On-platform earnings are just one way WEBTOON creators make money. Creators are also eligible for lucrative TV, book, and film adaptation deals with Wattpad WEBTOON Studios. WEBTOON’s global IP ecosystem and international TV, film, and publishing businesses create significant opportunities for creators to earn money in new ways while building new fans for their work in new formats.
WEBTOON plans to continue to grow the Creator Economy for digital comic artists, expanding the market for fans and creators globally. Founded in 2004 in Korea, WEBTOON has transformed the market for Korean comic creators. The company’s top-earning creator in Korea earned more than KR 12 billion (USD $9 million) last year, demonstrating the size for massive market growth in English-language markets.
“We’ve built something truly special at WEBTOON: a platform where every comic creator can build a global fandom and make money from their work,” said David Lee, VP of Content at WEBTOON. “We’ve honed our creator-first business model since 2004 in Korea, and now we’re bringing those learnings and earnings to our incredible US creators. But we’re just getting started, and you’re going to see more creators making more money on WEBTOON as we grow the local market and help more creators earn more money doing what they love.”
WEBTOON’s US business has seen continued creator and user growth since entering the market in 2014. The company currently has 15M MAU in the US, growing 50% over 2020. Globally, WEBTOON added 10M users between Jan 2021 and Feb 2022, with 82M MAU today. As digital comics continued to grow in popularity, WEBTOON’s annual total Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) reached USD $900 million in 2021.
A series of high-profile content collaborations and partnerships with brands like Marvel, DC Comics, Archie Comics, and HYBE–for the record-breaking BTS-inspired 7FATES: CHAKHO–along with hit TV and film adaptations, and best-selling graphic novelizations have brought WEBTOON digital comics to the mainstream like never before in the US.
Netflix has seen enormous success with WEBTOON adaptations in the past year. Global streaming hits All of Us are Dead, Sweet Home, Hellbound, Love and Leashes, and The Sound of Magic, all started on WEBTOON. All of Us are Dead spent 11 weeks in the Netflix Global Top 10 (Non-Eng Series) earlier this year. Netflix’s hit LGBTIAQ+ romance Heartstopper is also a popular digital comic on WEBTOON CANVAS.
In publishing, Rachel Smythe’s global WEBTOON sensation Lore Olympus reached #1 on the New York Times’ best-seller list when it was released in November 2021. The 1.2 billion-view digital comic recently received its second Eisner Award nomination and is in development as an animated series from Wattpad WEBTOON Studios and the Jim Henson Company. Miriam Bonastre Tur’s teen hit Hooky also reached the New York Times bestseller list last fall. WEBTOON Unscrolled, a new imprint from the Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group will launch its first titles in Fall 2022.
Source: Press Release
