You may soon be watching your favorite Naver webtoons

Naver Webtoon is ramping up efforts to adapt its comics into videos as part of its strategy to boost competitiveness in the global platform market. Webtoon service companies are accelerating the development of short-form content.

″Video episode″ format webtoons featured on Naver Webtoon's English-language service [NAVER WEBTOON]

Naver Webtoon is ramping up efforts to adapt its comics into videos as part of its strategy to boost competitiveness in the global platform market. As short-form consumption spreads across all generations, webtoon service companies are accelerating the development of short-form content.

Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Naver Webtoon, announced on Monday that it has introduced a trial version of a “video episode” feature on its English-language service.

Video episodes are a new format that transforms traditional vertically scrolling webtoons into videos by adding image motion, sound effects, background music and voice acting.

Each video episode runs for around five minutes, with 20 free episodes available per series. The feature has been initially applied to 14 English-language Naver Webtoon Originals, including “Vampire Family,” and will be expanded to more titles and episodes over time.

Users can choose to view a series either through the video episodes or the original webtoon format. Naver Webtoon plans to first test the feature on its English service and then consider expanding it to other language platforms.

As short-form content becomes mainstream in the content market, webtoon companies are using it as a tool to strengthen their competitive edge.

Short-form content is gaining influence by maintaining a high viewer engagement rate. Three out of four people in Korea watch short-form content, according to a regular survey conducted by Korea Research in December 2023.

[NAVER WEBTOON]

Even among people aged 60 or older, 59 percent reported having watched short-form content — a sign that consumption spans all age groups.

Naver Webtoon plans to launch a short-form exclusive service called “Cuts” next month. The service will allow users to view webtoons as short animations of roughly one minute, instead of in the traditional vertically scrolling format.

Kakao Entertainment also unveiled “Helix Shorts” in April, a short-form video production tool based on AI. The technology automatically creates short videos by analyzing panels and dialogue in webtoons.

Naver Webtoon is set to expand from a webtoon platform into a broader content platform. Last Wednesday, the company announced a global content partnership with The Walt Disney Company. Signature titles from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century Studios will be adapted into the vertical scrolling webtoon format.

“The short-form and animation markets are both large and promising, which is why we’re developing new content by combining multiple technologies,” a Naver spokesperson said. “We expect more content tailored to users who prefer short-form formats.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY PARK JONG-SUH [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]