Naver Webtoon and Japan's Terrestrial Broadcaster TBS Establish Webtoon Studio JV to "Accelerate IP Value Chain Expansion"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Naver Webtoon is partnering with Japan's terrestrial broadcaster TBS to actively expand its intellectual property (IP) value chain.

On the 16th, Naver Webtoon announced that it will establish a joint venture (JV) called 'Studio TooN,' a webtoon studio in Korea, together with Japan's TBS and Japanese webtoon production company SHINE Partners.

Studio TooN, a specialized webtoon production studio, will be established in Korea this month. Naver Webtoon plans to combine its global services and network, SHINE Partners' webtoon production expertise, and TBS's video production capabilities to accelerate original webtoon creation and video adaptation.

Original webtoons produced by Studio TooN will be serialized on Naver Webtoon's global platforms. TBS will adapt these into video content to be introduced to the Japanese content market. Naver Webtoon aims to build a content business partnership with TBS and strengthen its IP business in Japan.

Naver Webtoon entered the Japanese market in 2013 through its Japanese service Line Manga and has secured about 700,000 works, solidifying its position in Japan's digital comics market. Recently, it acquired the e-book service eBookJapan, becoming the top electronic comics service in Japan across web and app platforms. Additionally, it announced plans to establish a joint venture in Japan called 'Studio Dragon Japan (tentative)' in partnership with CJ ENM and Studio Dragon.

Kim Jun-gu, CEO of Naver Webtoon, said, "Webtoons are recognized worldwide as original IPs leading the content industry. Through this JV, we will collaborate with Japan's TBS, which has excellent production capabilities, to deliver fun and diverse content."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.