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WEBTOON Ent. Narrows Losses in 1st Quarter 2026

WEBTOON Entertainment narrowed its losses in the first quarter of 2026, posting an operating loss of US$8.03 million — down from US$26.63 million in the same period a year earlier, a roughly 70% improvement. The company disclosed the results on May 11.

The company also cut its net loss to US$8.8 million, down about 60% from US$21.97 million a year ago. Quarterly revenue came in at US$320.9 million, a 1.5% decline year-over-year, marking another quarter of softening sales after the company's revenue first began slipping last year.

WEBTOON Entertainment pointed to Korea as a bright spot. Stripping out the effect of a weak Korean won and Japanese yen, Korean revenue grew 3.2% year-over-year, which the company credited to a more diverse content lineup and AI-powered recommendations. Monthly paying users in Korea jumped 8.5%, while global monthly paying users (outside Korea and Japan) rose 3.3%.

Japan remains the company's most lucrative market on a per-user basis. The average revenue per paying user in Japan was US$22.5, far higher than in Korea (US$7.8) or the rest of the world (US$6.8). The company's IP and creator ecosystem now reaches roughly 145 million monthly active users worldwide.

Founder and CEO Junkoo Kim said the company delivered "solid first quarter results," adding that WEBTOON Entertainment will keep expanding its creator ecosystem — including a major overhaul of its amateur CANVAS platform planned through the year — while continuing to invest in long-term growth. Adjusting for currency swings, the company said first-quarter revenue would have edged up 0.2%.

Sources: WEBTOON's press release, YNA (Kyung-yoon Kim)