[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] NEW YORK, Sept. 16 — Shares of Webtoon Entertainment (NASDAQ: WBTN), the parent company of Naver Webtoon, soared 39.04% to close at USD 20.80 on Monday following news of a strategic partnership with The Walt Disney Company.
Disney has acquired a 2% equity stake in WBTN and agreed to expand content collaboration with the webtoon platform. As part of the partnership, Naver Webtoon will adapt and distribute iconic Disney intellectual properties (IP) — including Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and 20th Century Studios — across its global digital comics platform.
Industry observers noted that it is highly unusual for Disney to open up its tightly managed catalog of approximately 35,000 IP titles to an external platform for co-development. Analysts interpret Disney’s move as an effort to address challenges such as an aging fan base and delayed digital transition, while avoiding potential conflicts with direct streaming competitors like Netflix and Amazon.
With over 170 million monthly active users worldwide, Naver Webtoon offers Disney access to a massive digital audience that does not overlap directly with video streaming markets. For Naver Webtoon, the collaboration represents a critical opportunity to accelerate its global expansion amid slowing growth in the domestic webtoon industry, while Disney gains a new channel to extend its world-renowned IP into digital comics.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
