Latest news with #WebtoonEntertainment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Webtoon Soars 97% as Disney Pact Brings Marvel, Star Wars Comics to Platform
(Bloomberg) -- Webtoon Entertainment Inc. surged 81% in its best day since going public last year after announcing a partnership with Walt Disney Co. that will bring iconic characters such as Marvel's Spider-Man and Luke Skywalker of to its platform. The deal will allow it to publish 100 reformatted comics from Disney brands to a dedicated section on Webtoon's English-language app, the company said in a statement on Tuesday after the market's close. The two will also produce original web comics together. Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in 'Living Shorelines' Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels' Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets The announcement came as Webtoon reported quarterly results that beat analyst expectations, which helped fuel the rally. 'Together, we're bringing this legendary storytelling to a new generation of mobile-native comic fans, while giving existing fans a new way to experience series and characters they love,' said Yongsoo Kim, chief strategy officer and head of global Webtoon. Disney marks the latest collaboration for Webtoon, a platform that allows creators and users to make and discover digital comics. The company also counts South Korean entertainment firm HYBE Co. Ltd. and DC Comics, which is owned by Warner Bros Discovery Inc., as content partners. But even with the stock's surge, the stock is still below the $21 price of its initial public offering last year, following a previous string of disappointing earnings reports. Morgan Stanley's Matthew Cost said the Disney partnership is an 'intriguing development.' 'We believe this will be an important audience building effort that could help accelerate user growth in English speaking markets,' Cost wrote in a note published on Wednesday. 'Our key question is whether that Disney audience will stay in Webtoon to consume and create platform-native content, or will they only consume the branded content they know?' (Updates for market close.) Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump's Economic Plan Why It's Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist Dubai's Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash Americans Are Getting Priced Out of Homeownership at Record Rates The Social Media Trend Machine Is Spitting Out Weirder and Weirder Results ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Webtoon Entertainment Stock Nearly Doubled Today
Key Points Earnings reports often drive significant stock moves, and Webtoon did beat analyst expectations in the second quarter of 2025. However, an unexpected content deal with Walt Disney added far more fuel to the stock's fire today. 10 stocks we like better than Webtoon Entertainment › Shares of Webtoon Entertainment (NASDAQ: WBTN) soared to a 52-week high on Wednesday. Powered by a strong earnings report and an unexpected Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) partnership, Webtoon's shares had gained 93% as of 11:40 a.m. ET -- and the chart is still trending upward as of this writing. Webtoon's results and a sweet Disney deal Let's start with the financial filings. The average Wall Street firm had expected second-quarter earnings of roughly $0.02 per share, with top-line revenue near $341 million. The mobile webcomics specialist posted adjusted earnings of $0.07 per share instead, based on $348 million of revenues. That's a clean sweep, also exceeding the top end of management's guidance ranges for this period. But the bigger news came from the House of Mouse. Besides the earnings report, Webtoon also announced a brand new Disney deal. This contract adds a selection of Disney, Marvel, 20th Century Fox, and Star Wars content on the Webtoon platform. It will start with a handful of free webcomics at launch, followed by approximately 100 pieces of premium content over time. That's a robust slice of Disney's instantly recognizable content portfolio, but Webtoon users won't get full access to this deep well. How the partnership helps Webtoon and Disney Webtoon CEO David Lee wasn't able to share financial terms or launch dates quite yet, as the commercial details are still being hammered out. But he called the deal a win-win for both companies. Webtoon will supplement its mainly anime-style comics with a deep well of proven hits, while Disney reaches the Gen Z kids (and younger) from a new angle. The stock calmed down to an 85% gain by noon ET. That's still a solid 52-week high. Again, the Disney deal holds more weight than a modest earnings surprise. From here, Webtoon needs to make the most of its Disney contract, boosting the company's fairly slow revenue growth and nearly breakeven profits. Should you buy stock in Webtoon Entertainment right now? Before you buy stock in Webtoon Entertainment, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Webtoon Entertainment wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,427!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,119,863!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,060% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2025 Anders Bylund has positions in Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Webtoon Entertainment Stock Nearly Doubled Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Webtoon Soars 97% as Disney Pact Brings Marvel, Star Wars Comics to Platform
Webtoon Entertainment Inc. surged more than 97%, the biggest gain since its initial public offering last year, after announcing a partnership with Walt Disney Co. that will bring iconic characters such as Marvel's Spider-Man and Luke Skywalker of Star Wars to its platform. The deal will allow it to publish 100 reformatted comics from Disney brands to a dedicated section on Webtoon's English-language app, the company said in a statement on Tuesday after the market's close. The two will also produce original web comics together.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Webtoon to bring Disney titles to mobile platform
Platform to host 100 Marvel, 'Star Wars' titles as shares jump 28 percent on news Webtoon Entertainment, the US-based parent company of Naver Webtoon, struck a multiyear partnership with Walt Disney Co. to bring around 100 titles from Marvel, "Star Wars" and other Disney properties to its vertical-scrolling platform, the companies announced Wednesday. The partnership will release adaptations of existing comics for smartphone viewing as well as original content developed for the mobile format. The content will appear in a dedicated section of Webtoon's English-language app, Webtoon said. "Amazing Spider-Man" debuts this month, followed by "Avengers," "Star Wars" and other titles. Users can read initial episodes for free before purchasing additional chapters with in-app coins. The deal helps fill a major content gap for the Naver Corp.-backed company as it expands beyond Asian markets. The platform boasts 155 million monthly active users globally, but has lacked superhero titles — which Disney's Marvel catalog will now deliver in earnest. The platform's demographics skew younger and more female than traditional comics readers, and its popular titles lean toward fantasy, romance and slice-of-life genres. For Disney, the partnership marks a shift from Marvel Comics' traditional distribution through comic shops and download services that cater to older fans. The entertainment giant could tap into Webtoon's younger, mobile-first user base while opening new revenue streams for its extensive back catalog. "The Disney, Marvel, 20th Century and Star Wars brands are among the most legendary, creative and successful in the industry," said Yongsoo Kim, Webtoon's chief strategy officer. "We're bringing this legendary storytelling to a new generation of mobile-native comic fans." The announcement sent Webtoon shares up 28 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday, coinciding with second-quarter earnings announced the same day. Webtoon reported revenue rose 8.5 percent to $348.3 million, while net losses narrowed to $3.9 million from $76.6 million a year earlier. The company projects third-quarter revenue between $380 million and $390 million. Webtoon Entertainment went public on Nasdaq in June 2024. The US-listed company serves as the parent of Korea's Naver Webtoon following a May 2020 restructuring, with Naver Corp. maintaining majority control. The company reported 2024 revenue of $1.35 billion with a net loss of $152.9 million. Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed, but Disney's Daniel Fink, head of digital innovation, called it "one of the biggest" publishing partnerships his company has undertaken.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Webtoon: Q2 Earnings Snapshot
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Webtoon Entertainment Inc. (WBTN) on Tuesday reported a loss of $4.3 million in its second quarter. On a per-share basis, the Los Angeles-based company said it had a loss of 3 cents. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and non-recurring costs, came to 7 cents per share. The online storytelling platform for comics and cartoons posted revenue of $348.3 million in the period, surpassing Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $341.3 million. For the current quarter ending in September, Webtoon said it expects revenue in the range of $380 million to $390 million. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on WBTN at Sign in to access your portfolio
