Japan’s TBS Pacts with Naver Webtoon

Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS) is setting up a webtoon production company in South Korea with Naver Webtoon and the manga outfit Shine Partners.

Studio TooN will develop original webtoons with Japanese and Korean creators. Keita Iwamoto, president of Shine Partners, will lead the Seoul-based venture. TBS will explore developing drama series and anime shows based on webtoons from Studio TooN.

“As we take on the challenge of entering the emerging field of webtoons, we are grateful for the cooperation of Naver Webtoon, the leading webtoon company in South Korea, and indeed the world, and of the pioneering Japanese company Shine Partners,” said Takashi Sasaki, the president of TBS. “Going forward, the world can also look forward to exciting new webtoon-based video content from TBS.”

Kim Junkoo, CEO and founder of Naver Webtoon, added, “When webtoon works are visualized, there is a synergy effect as the number of readers increases. We are delighted to be partnering with TBS, Japan’s leading content production company. We look forward to working together to develop diverse webtoons even further.”