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Webtoon Entertainment Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 March 2026: press release, letter to shareholders. Guidance figures: 4 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Q4 revenue fell 6.3%: Q4 total revenue was $330.7 million. On a constant currency basis it was $338.3 million, down 4.1%, with Paid Content growth offsetting declines in Advertising and IP Adaptations. Source
  • Net loss widened on impairments: Q4 net loss was $336.5 million, against $102.6 million a year earlier. The company attributed the change to goodwill impairments. Full-year net loss was $373.4 million. Source
  • Q4 paying users rose 0.7%: Q4 MPU was 7.5 million, up 0.7%, led by Korea and Rest of World. The company called this an inflection to positive growth in MPU. Source
  • AI recommendations now more personal: Management said its AI-driven recommendation model now makes more personalized recommendations, helping users find less prominent titles. The company believes the learnings can apply to other regions. Source
  • Full-year gross margin fell 180 bps: Full-year gross profit was $322.2 million, down 5.0%. Gross margin was 23.3%, down 180 basis points on the prior year. Source
  • Cash near $582 million: Cash and cash equivalents were about $581.8 million, plus $10.8 million of short-term deposits held in prepaid expenses and other current assets. Source
  • Disney digital comics platform planned: The company and Disney are moving forward to build and operate an all-new digital comics platform with current comic runs and past titles from Disney's portfolio. Source

“We are pleased to report solid fourth quarter results, with revenue in line with our expectations and Adjusted EBITDA above the top end of our guidance range.”

Junkoo Kim, Founder and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue growth, constant currency Sourcefirst quarter 2026(1.5%) - 1.5%New
Revenue Sourcefirst quarter 2026$317-$327 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefirst quarter 2026$0.0-$5.0 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefirst quarter 20260.0% - 1.5%New

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: The company gave its first quarter 2026 guidance for constant currency revenue growth, revenue, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin. Source
  • New: The Disney agreements were completed on January 8, 2026, including Disney's roughly 2% equity investment. In the third quarter release, the equity stake was a non-binding agreement. Source
  • New: The company introduced a purchase option on the Korean WEBTOON app in January 2026, giving users permanent access to an episode for a premium. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Q4 revenue fell 6.3%: Q4 total revenue was $330.7 million. On a constant currency basis it was $338.3 million, down 4.1%, with Paid Content growth offsetting declines in Advertising and IP Adaptations. Source
  • Full-year revenue rose 2.5%: Full-year revenue was $1.4 billion, up 2.5%, or 3.9% on a constant currency basis. Advertising was the stream that declined on a reported basis. Source
  • Net loss widened on impairments: Q4 net loss was $336.5 million, against $102.6 million a year earlier. The company attributed the change to goodwill impairments. Full-year net loss was $373.4 million. Source
  • Full-year Adjusted EBITDA $19.4M: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA was $19.4 million, against $68.0 million a year earlier. The company cited lower gross profit and higher marketing expense. Source

Segments and regions

  • Paid Content grew for the year: Paid Content revenue was $1.1 billion for 2025, up 0.4% (1.5% constant currency). Japan growth offset declines in Korea and Rest of World. Source
  • Advertising fell in Q4: Advertising revenue fell 12.2% in Q4 (10.3% constant currency). Japan growth was offset by declines in Korea and Rest of World. Source
  • IP Adaptations fell in Q4: IP Adaptations revenue fell 32.0% in Q4 (29.7% constant currency), driven by Korea. Full-year IP Adaptations revenue rose 31.8%, led by Korea. Source
  • Korea revenue fell in Q4: Korea revenue was $125.7 million in Q4, down 13.2% (9.1% constant currency). Full-year Korea revenue grew 0.9%, or 5.9% on a constant currency basis. Source
  • Japan revenue dipped in Q4: Japan revenue was $160.1 million in Q4, down 2.0% (1.0% constant currency). Full-year Japan revenue grew 5.2% to $681.8 million. Source
  • Rest of World revenue up 0.8%: Rest of World revenue rose 0.8% to $44.9 million in Q4. Full-year Rest of World revenue declined 2.1% to $178.8 million. Source

“While we reported a net loss of $373.4 million due to goodwill impairments, we achieved Adjusted EBITDA of $19.4 million, maintaining profitability in our business while continuing to invest for the future.”

Junkoo Kim, Founder & CEO

Users and monetization

  • Q4 paying users rose 0.7%: Q4 MPU was 7.5 million, up 0.7%, led by Korea and Rest of World. The company called this an inflection to positive growth in MPU. Source
  • Full-year users declined: Full-year MAU was 157.0 million and MPU was 7.5 million. The company said it remains focused on driving app users, who are more engaged and present better monetization opportunities. Source
  • AI recommendations now more personal: Management said its AI-driven recommendation model now makes more personalized recommendations, helping users find less prominent titles. The company believes the learnings can apply to other regions. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Q4 gross margin rose 100 bps: Q4 gross profit was $80.5 million, down 2.1%. Gross margin was 24.3%, up 100 basis points on the prior year. Source
  • Full-year gross margin fell 180 bps: Full-year gross profit was $322.2 million, down 5.0%. Gross margin was 23.3%, down 180 basis points on the prior year. Source
  • Some costs moved from marketing: Some items were moved from Marketing to Cost of Revenue, which management said reflects more accurate cost attribution. Source
  • G&A lower on cost discipline: Q4 general and administrative expenses were $65.4 million, against $77.8 million. Full-year G&A was $259.5 million, against $332.0 million. Source
  • Q4 Adjusted EBITDA on cost controls: Q4 Adjusted EBITDA was $0.6 million, against a $3.5 million loss a year earlier. The company attributed the change to effective cost controls. Source

“As we enter 2026, we remain confident in our strategy and are focused on growing and deepening engagement across our platform to foster a stronger, more vibrant fandom.”

Junkoo Kim, Founder and CEO

IP adaptations and anime

  • Chasing Red film greenlit: Management said the live-action Chasing Red film has been greenlit and recently wrapped production. The title began as a Wattpad webnovel. Source
  • Prime Video deals across territories: Deals have been completed with Amazon Prime Video for Chasing Red in the UK, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, France and Benelux. Source
  • Lore Olympus animated series greenlit: Amazon MGM Studios greenlit Lore Olympus as a new adult animated series from WEBTOON Productions and The Jim Henson Company, to premiere on Prime Video. Source
  • Viral Hit to live-action series: Viral Hit, a webcomic with over 2.2 billion global views, will be adapted into a Japanese live action series, following its 2024 anime adaptation. Source
  • Animation pipelines with major partners: The company said it has set up multiple animation pipelines and sees opportunities for further collaboration with major production partners. Source

Cash and balance sheet

  • Cash near $582 million: Cash and cash equivalents were about $581.8 million, plus $10.8 million of short-term deposits held in prepaid expenses and other current assets. Source
  • No debt reported: The press release headline reports cash of approximately $582 million and no debt. Source
  • Full-year operating cash flow $11.2M: Cash flow from operations was $11.2 million for 2025, compared with $17.9 million in the prior year. Source
  • Q4 operating cash flow $7.6M: Q4 cash flow from operations was $7.6 million, compared with $(8.7) million in the same quarter of the prior year. Source

Strategy and partnerships

  • Disney digital comics platform planned: The company and Disney are moving forward to build and operate an all-new digital comics platform with current comic runs and past titles from Disney's portfolio. Source
  • Franchise titles added since Q3: Since the end of the third quarter, the company said it launched seven more titles from Disney, Marvel and Star Wars franchises on its mobile format. Source
  • AI spending shifted from infrastructure: Management said it expects to redeploy resources from infrastructure projects into AI technology to drive further personalization. Source

Coming up, as management said on 3 March 2026

  • Disney platform targeted for 2026: The company is targeting a 2026 launch for the all-new digital comics platform being built with Disney. Source
  • Franchise original series later this year: Management expects to introduce an original webcomic series based on Disney franchises later in 2026. Source
  • Viral Hit live action streams May 28: The Viral Hit live-action series begins streaming worldwide on Netflix on May 28, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Monthly active users, Q4 2025 Source163.2 million
Monthly paying users, Q4 2025 Source7.5 million
Korea MPU, Q4 2025 Source3.7 million
Japan MPU, Q4 2025 Source2.1 million
Rest of World MPU, Q4 2025 Source1.7 million
Korea paying ratio, Q4 2025 Source15.1%
Paid Content ARPPU, Q4 2025 Source$11.7
Webcomic app MAU, full year 2025 Source+1.9%

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: The net loss in Q4 and for the full year was driven by goodwill impairments, which the company cited as the reason for the change. Source
  • Demand: A decline from a major ecommerce advertising partner in Korea was partly offset by other partners, lowering Korea advertising revenue. Source
  • Financial: IP Adaptations revenue depends on achieving milestones and can vary from quarter to quarter, according to management. Source
  • Operational: Automated web traffic in non-core markets lifted global MAU; the company said the effect peaked in Q4 2025 and is lower in Q1 2026. Source
  • Demand: App MAU fell 6.5% and webcomic app MAU fell 2.6% in Q4 compared with the prior year. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said it reached its 2025 target of 20 new anime projects in Japan. Source
  • Ahead: Management said revenue was in line with its expectations and Adjusted EBITDA came in above the top end of the guidance range. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.