Global Webtoons Market Size and Share Outlook - Forecast Trends and Growth Analysis Report (2024-2032)

Global Webtoons Market Share

By Genre Insights

The webtoons market value is increasing due to the rising popularity of the romance genre that resonates across cultures and age groups, making it universally appealing. The themes of love, relationships, and emotional connections are relatable to a vast audience, ensuring a broad reader base. The romance genre in webtoons encompasses a variety of sub-genres and themes, including contemporary romance, historical romance, fantasy romance, and romantic comedy; this diversity attracts a wide range of readers with different tastes and preferences. For instance, in July 2024, it was reported that Webtoon’s romance series The Reason for the Twin Lady's Disguise attracted 90 million views.

The comedy genre is also expected to witness significant growth in the global webtoons market as humour often transcends cultural and language barriers, especially when visual gags and situational comedy are involved. In a fast-paced and often stressful modern lifestyle, readers seek light-hearted entertainment that offers a break from their daily routines and comedy webtoons provide this by offering humorous content that can lighten moods and offer a form of escapism.

Meanwhile, action webtoons enjoy considerable appeal due to the combination of dynamic storytelling, engaging character development, exciting plot, universal themes, and unpredictability and suspense. In January 2022, Marvel Comics and WEBTOON announced ETERNALS: THE 500 YEAR WAR, showcasing the Eternals in their past encounters during the 500 Year War against the Deviants around the world.

By Revenue Model Insights

Subscription-based revenue model, relying on users to pay a recurring fee to access premium content and enhanced experiences, accounts for a major share of the webtoons market. This model offers a predictable and steady income stream to platforms, helps them build a loyal, dedicated, and engaged audience base, and provides a seamless user experience. The increasing demand for ad-free experiences among users is further propelling the market expansion.

Meanwhile, the advertisement-supported revenue model involves the generation of income through advertisements displayed within the webtoon platform. This model requires no upfront costs, which makes webtoons accessible to a broad audience. As this model does not require subscription fees, it makes it easier for developers to target users across different demographics and income levels. Some popular webtoons operating on ad-supported revenue models are Tapas, LINE Webtoon, and Lezhin Comics, among others.

By Device Type Insights

As per the webtoons industry analysis, mobile occupies a significant portion of the market share due to the extensive adoption of smartphones worldwide. It is a primary platform for readers to access webtoons anytime and anywhere. Webtoons are designed for vertical scrolling, providing seamless reading experiences on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. Moreover, market players are enhancing the reading experience on mobile applications by providing offline reading and in-app offers, discounts, and sales.

The increasing number of adaptations from webtoons to animated shows, live action series, and K-dramas is providing lucrative webtoons market opportunities. Streaming giants like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Prime are attempting to adapt webtoons into TV series. Some popular webtoon-to-TV adaptions include All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home, and Tower of God.

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