Disney to Invest in Webtoon Entertainment With Plan for New Comics Platform
By Dean Seal
Disney plans to take a stake in Webtoon Entertainment as the companies prepare to create a new digital platform that will house all of the entertainment giant's various comic brands, including Marvel and Star Wars.
The companies said Monday that they have signed a non-binding term sheet for development of the new platform, which will feature current comic book runs and decades of older comics from across Disney's portfolio.
In conjunction with the collaboration, Disney has signed a non-binding term sheet to acquire a 2% equity interest in Webtoon, though the companies have yet to reach a definitive agreement.
Shares of Webtoon soared 75% to $26.20 after hours.
The development comes a month after Disney said it reached a deal to put nearly 100 class comics and new online series on Webtoon's online-comic platform, and refit them for Webtoon's mobile vertical-scroll format.
Now, Webtoon will be building and operating a new platform for Disney's more than 35,000 comics that can be accessed with one subscription, and will include both vertical and traditional formats.
"Through our expanded relationship with Webtoon, the global leader in digital comics, we're opening doors to new audiences and deepening fan engagement," Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro said.
The new platform will aim for wide distribution, and select comics will be localised for Webtoon's Korean and Japanese platforms, the companies said.
Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 15, 2025 17:02 ET (21:02 GMT)
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