News
MBC Invests in Webtoon Studio Jaedam Media
posted on by Wonhee Cho
South Korean broadcaster MBC has made a strategic equity investment in webtoon and web novel production company Jaedam Media to strengthen its content competitiveness and expand its intellectual property (IP) business.
Announced earlier this month, the partnership enables both companies to jointly develop and commercialize IP across various formats, including dramas, webtoons, and digital media. The two parties plan to share existing IP and collaborate on the planning and development of new content.
Jaedam Media owns more than 500 webtoon IPs — including Weak Hero, Princess Hours, and My Lawyer, Mr. Jo — with a talent pool of over 300 creators.
The company's Weak Hero IP has recently seen significant success. The live-action Weak Hero Class 2 series debuted on Netflix on April 25, and topped the global top 10 (non-English TV) list three days after its release. The first season also reached the top 2 globally. As a result, sales of the original webtoon increased by 20 times, according to Jaedam.
Through the investment, MBC aims to secure priority access to Jaedam's webtoons for future adaptations. The company also plans to leverage its in-house production capabilities to create a wider range of content beyond traditional broadcasting.
Jaedam Media expects the collaboration to enhance its competitiveness in adapting IP into video formats and strengthen its global distribution capabilities. The company also plans to explore webtoon adaptations of MBC-owned drama IPs.
As part of the partnership, MBC and Jaedam will launch a cross-format content competition — covering drama, film, webtoon, and short-form content — to discover and develop new creators and original IPs.
Source: MBC (Jung-min You)
