Webtoon Leisure Inc. signage throughout the preliminary public providing occasion outdoors the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, US, on Thursday, June 27, 2024.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Photos
Webtoon Leisure shares surged on Tuesday after signing a deal to create a digital comedian platform for Disney, and agreeing to promote the media conglomerate a 2% fairness stake.
Webtoon briefly jumped round 39%, reaching a brand new 52-week excessive. The inventory notched its second-largest one-day advance since going public final yr.
Webtoon Leisure, 1-day
Disney and Webtoon agreed Monday to create a digital platform for the studio’s Marvel and Star Wars manufacturers. Greater than 35,000 comics tied to Disney properties — together with Pixar and twentieth Century Studios — shall be out there on one service with a single subscription for the primary time, the businesses stated.
A ‘most well-liked vacation spot’
Deutsche Financial institution analyst Benjamin Black described Monday’s deal as a “materials enlargement” from a partnership first introduced in August. Disney will help diversify Webtoon’s income by creating a gentle stream of recurring revenue.
The deal might also assist increase curiosity from different mental property (IP) house owners seeking to observe Disney’s lead, Block stated.
“The brand new settlement additional validates Webtoon’s platform as the popular vacation spot for main IP distribution,” Black wrote to shoppers.
Morgan Stanley analyst Matthew Price was skeptical of the fast influence of the deal on Webtoon’s near-term earnings. In reality, he pointed to the necessity to make investments with the intention to construct out the brand new platform.
Certainly one of Webtoon’s objectives is to develop its English-speaking consumer base, the most important income alternative for the corporate, Price stated.
Together with Tuesday’s rally, Webtoon shares have now greater than doubled prior to now three months.