The Walt Disney Company and WEBTOON Entertainment have signed an agreement to develop a subscription-based digital comics platform that will carry over 35,000 current and older comics from Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar, and 20th Century Studios, as well as a selection of WEBTOON Originals. The new platform will be an expansion of Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s current digital subscription service (see “Marvel Launches Subscription Site”), and will be built and operated by WEBTOON. It will carry both vertical-scroll and traditionally formatted comics, and it will be available to Disney+ subscribers at no additional charge.
In August, the two companies announced a deal to bring Marvel and other Disney comics to the WEBTOON platform, some original and some reformatted as vertical-scroll comics (see “Disney and Webtoon Announce Multiyear Deal”). As with its other titles, WEBTOON will offer the first few episodes for free and the rest to be purchased with in-app currency.
Some comics in the new service will also be localized and published on WEBTOON’s Japanese and Korean platforms.
The initial agreement to develop the joint platform is non-binding, and two companies have also signed a non-binding agreement for Disney to acquire a 2% equity stake in WEBTOON Entertainment. Both agreements are subject to both parties agreeing on terms and conditions to move forward.
“Through our expanded relationship with WEBTOON, the global leader in digital comics, we’re opening doors to new audiences and deepening fan engagement,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences, in a statement accompanying the announcement.
“This is a powerful next step for our growing global business, and a strong foundation for even greater collaboration with Disney in the years ahead,” added Junkoo Kim, Founder and CEO, WEBTOON Entertainment.
Source: ICv2
