NAVER WEBTOON is expanding IP touchpoints simultaneously offline (pop-up), overseas (Japan anime subscription), and into AI (byUs) — while managing copyright risk and driving traffic back to original titles. The case offers a practical execution model for K-Content buyers evaluating overseas expansion and IP partnerships.
NAVER WEBTOON Expands IP Offline and Overseas
NAVER WEBTOON is adding IP touchpoints beyond online reading, pairing a rotating pop-up space in Seoul with its first subscription anime service in Japan
Key Issues
One permanent space, rotating IP: Rather than building a separate venue for each title, the company runs one relay pop-up at Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul and rotates the featured IP through December. 'Our Guild's Idol' opened the run with 44 new merchandise items and weekly on-site events.
From buying goods to stepping into the story: The space recreates the guild room from the webtoon and adds a fan message board, while merchandise shifts toward everyday items such as plush toys and mouse pads, aimed at teenage and twenty-something readers.
Anime subscription strengthens the Japan business: LINE Manga has partnered with NTT Docomo on 'd Anime Store for LINE Manga', its first flat-rate anime service, which offers more than 4,000 titles through a new in-app tab and brings roughly 4 million existing subscribers.
'byUs' Turns AI Story Chat into an IP Flywheel
By building AI story chat only on officially licensed IP, NAVER WEBTOON lowers copyright risk and drives readers back to the original series
Key Issues
Official IP as a hedge against copyright risk: In May, it was reported that six webtoon platforms — among them Kakao Entertainment, RIDI and LezhinEntertainment —filed complaints against Scatter Lab, operator of the story chat app 'Zeta', for aiding and abetting copyright infringement. ‘byUs' uses only creator-approved IP.
Story chat sends readers back to the webtoon: After ‘byUs' launched with its first title, views of the original series —then on hiatus —rose 67% and new-reader traffic more than doubled. Views of a second title rose 27% after the CutsMake creation tool launched.
One strategy, tuned by region: Korea gets the Cuts short-form animation service and CutsMake creation tool, North America a Watch tab in the English app, and Japan anime streaming
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