WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
| WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) (in thousands of USD, except share and per share data) | ||||||||
| As of | ||||||||
| September 30, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | |||||||
| Assets | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 548,438 | $ | 581,806 | ||||
| Receivables1, net of allowance for credit losses of $2,654 and $3,378 at September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively | 212,613 | 176,779 | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net2 | 94,053 | 72,647 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 855,104 | 831,232 | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 17,351 | 8,339 | ||||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 21,633 | 23,705 | ||||||
| Debt and equity securities | 73,899 | 69,669 | ||||||
| Intangible assets, net | 146,186 | 157,804 | ||||||
| Goodwill, net | 341,188 | 336,825 | ||||||
| Equity method investments | 128,749 | 80,440 | ||||||
| Deferred tax assets | 25,737 | 22,302 | ||||||
| Other non-current assets, net3 | 59,518 | 65,194 | ||||||
| Total assets | $ | 1,669,365 | $ | 1,595,510 | ||||
| Liabilities and equity | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable4 | $ | 141,516 | $ | 136,962 | ||||
| Accrued expenses5 | 63,198 | 66,690 | ||||||
| Current portion of operating lease liabilities6 | 9,459 | 9,617 | ||||||
| Contract liabilities | 101,445 | 89,994 | ||||||
| Taxes payable | 3,457 | 4,136 | ||||||
| Provisions and defined pension benefits | 16,740 | 8,766 | ||||||
| Other current liabilities | 3,111 | 2,457 | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 338,926 | 318,622 | ||||||
| Non-current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Long-term portion of operating lease liabilities7 | 15,739 | 14,055 | ||||||
| Defined severance benefits | 24,605 | 25,069 | ||||||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 10,153 | 5,755 | ||||||
| Other non-current liabilities | 3,779 | 3,737 | ||||||
| Total liabilities | 393,202 | 367,238 | ||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||
| Redeemable non-controlling interest in subsidiary | $ | 26,135 | $ | 24,540 | ||||
| Stockholders' equity: | ||||||||
| Common stock, $0.0001 par value (2,000,000,000 authorized, 135,730,939 shares and 130,776,161 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively) | 14 | 13 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 2,194,647 | 2,137,926 | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (93,701 | ) | (114,363 | ) | ||||
| Accumulated deficit | (886,197 | ) | (853,124 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders' equity attributable to WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. | 1,214,763 | 1,170,452 | ||||||
| Non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries | 35,265 | 33,280 | ||||||
| Total equity | $ | 1,250,028 | $ | 1,203,732 | ||||
| Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interest, and equity | $ | 1,669,365 | $ | 1,595,510 | ||||
| Includes amounts due from related parties of $66,775 and $55,156 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts due from related parties of $9,626 and $4,730 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts due from related parties of $32,295 and $33,913 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts due to related parties of $21,224 and $18,765 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts due to related parties of $6,699 and $6,849 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts due to related parties of $5,223 and $5,221 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts due to related parties of $2,057 and $5,371 as of September 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025, respectively. | ||||||||
| WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (unaudited) (in thousands of USD, except share and per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
| September 30, 2026 | September 30, 2025 | September 30, 2026 | September 30, 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Revenue1 | $ | 362,775 | $ | 378,041 | $ | 1,022,112 | $ | 1,052,019 | ||||||||
| Cost of revenue2 | (270,206 | ) | (295,267 | ) | (758,359 | ) | (810,355 | ) | ||||||||
| Marketing3 | (39,111 | ) | (35,166 | ) | (107,967 | ) | (97,779 | ) | ||||||||
| General and administrative expenses4 | (62,685 | ) | (62,486 | ) | (188,612 | ) | (194,160 | ) | ||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | (9,227 | ) | (14,878 | ) | (32,826 | ) | (50,275 | ) | ||||||||
| Interest income | 4,170 | 4,638 | 13,029 | 14,661 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (19 | ) | (2 | ) | (53 | ) | (6 | ) | ||||||||
| Gain (loss) on equity method investments, net | 59 | 1,709 | 601 | 1,647 | ||||||||||||
| Other income (loss), net 5 | (2,983 | ) | (1,891 | ) | (2,516 | ) | (588 | ) | ||||||||
| Income (loss) before income tax | (8,000 | ) | (10,424 | ) | (21,765 | ) | (34,561 | ) | ||||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) | 529 | (626 | ) | (9,080 | ) | (2,341 | ) | |||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | (7,471 | ) | $ | (11,050 | ) | $ | (30,845 | ) | $ | (36,902 | ) | ||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. | (8,370 | ) | (11,647 | ) | (33,073 | ) | (38,362 | ) | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests and redeemable non-controlling interests | 899 | 597 | 2,228 | 1,460 | ||||||||||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss): | ||||||||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax | 55,037 | (21,116 | ) | 22,119 | 26,576 | |||||||||||
| Share of other comprehensive income (loss) of equity method investments, net of tax | $ | (41 | ) | $ | 274 | $ | (104 | ) | $ | 699 | ||||||
| Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax | 54,996 | (20,842 | ) | 22,015 | 27,275 | |||||||||||
| Total comprehensive income (loss) | $ | 47,525 | $ | (31,892 | ) | $ | (8,830 | ) | $ | (9,627 | ) | |||||
| Total comprehensive income (loss) attributable to WEBTOON | $ | 43,760 | $ | (31,792 | ) | $ | (12,411 | ) | $ | (11,989 | ) | |||||
| Total comprehensive income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests and redeemable non-controlling interests | $ | 3,765 | $ | (100 | ) | 3,581 | 2,362 | |||||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic | 135,714,833 | 130,644,101 | 134,869,055 | 130,204,411 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted | 135,714,833 | 130,644,101 | 134,869,055 | 130,204,411 | ||||||||||||
| Income (loss) per share attributable to WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (0.30 | ) | ||||
| Diluted | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (0.30 | ) | ||||
| Includes amounts earned from related parties of $25,809 and $17,029 for the three months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively, and $68,603 and $53,020 for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts incurred from related parties of $29,306 and $28,207 for the three months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively, and $84,636 and $84,737 for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts incurred from related parties of $529 and $(2,089) for the three months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively, and $(587) and $(7,540) for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts incurred from related parties of $8,573 and $7,629 for the three months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively, and $24,421 and $21,565 for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively. Includes amounts earned from related parties of $418 and $433 for the three months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively, and $1,210 and $1,268 for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, and September 30, 2025, respectively. | ||||||||||||||||
| WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) (in thousands of USD) | |||||||
| For the Nine Months Ended | |||||||
| September 30, 2026 | September 30, 2025 | ||||||
| Operating activities: | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | (30,845 | ) | $ | (36,902 | ) | |
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | |||||||
| Provision for credit losses | 11 | 274 | |||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 21,834 | 24,784 | |||||
| Operating lease expense | 7,532 | 7,209 | |||||
| Loss (gain) on foreign currency, net | 2,489 | (2,540 | ) | ||||
| Deferred tax benefit | 1,775 | (8,697 | ) | ||||
| Loss (Gain) on debt and equity securities, net | (452 | ) | 4,016 | ||||
| Change in severance benefit, net | 2,198 | 1,764 | |||||
| (Gain) loss on equity method investments, net | (601 | ) | (1,647 | ) | |||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 27,408 | 35,123 | |||||
| Other non-cash items | 624 | (7 | ) | ||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities | |||||||
| Changes in receivables | (21,121 | ) | 995 | ||||
| Changes in other assets | (9,319 | ) | 230 | ||||
| Changes in accounts payable | 2,655 | 2,764 | |||||
| Changes in accrued expenses | (5,077 | ) | (15,388 | ) | |||
| Changes in contract liabilities | 6,457 | (1,856 | ) | ||||
| Changes in income tax receivable | (3,260 | ) | (6,938 | ) | |||
| Changes in other liabilities | (3,214 | ) | 8,095 | ||||
| Changes in operating lease liabilities | (7,092 | ) | (5,507 | ) | |||
| Other operating activities | - | (316 | ) | ||||
| Payments of severance benefits, net of cash transferred | (3,894 | ) | (1,878 | ) | |||
| Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities | $ | (11,892 | ) | $ | 3,578 | ||
| Investing activities: | |||||||
| Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments | 10,622 | 32,515 | |||||
| Proceeds from sale of property and equipment | 136 | 253 | |||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (7,544 | ) | (6,984 | ) | |||
| Purchases of debt and equity securities | (651 | ) | (6,664 | ) | |||
| Proceeds from loan receivables | 5,449 | 1,379 | |||||
| Payment made for short-term investments | (12,888 | ) | (17,423 | ) | |||
| Payment made for loan receivable | (68 | ) | (909 | ) | |||
| Purchases of intangible assets | (7,466 | ) | (7,168 | ) | |||
| Purchases of equity method investments | (45,326 | ) | - | ||||
| Acquisition of businesses, net of cash | - | (148 | ) | ||||
| Other investing activities | - | 120 | |||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | $ | (57,736 | ) | $ | (5,029 | ) | |
| Financing activities: | |||||||
| Proceeds from issuance of common stock related to private placement, net | 32,682 | - | |||||
| Other financing activities | (2,340 | ) | - | ||||
| Proceeds from stock option exercise | 309 | 1,264 | |||||
| Proceeds from short-term borrowings | - | 143 | |||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | $ | 30,651 | $ | 1,407 | |||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 5,609 | 12,217 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents: | |||||||
| Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents | (33,368 | ) | 12,173 | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period | 581,806 | 572,402 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period | $ | 548,438 | $ | 584,575 | |||
| Supplemental disclosure: | |||||||
| Income taxes paid | $ | 10,565 | $ | 18,097 | |||
| Purchase of property and equipment included in accounts payable | $ | 745 | $ | - | |||
| Purchase of intangible assets included in accounts payable | $ | 48 | $ | - | |||
| Increase in right-of-use assets recognized from new lease agreements | $ | 4,896 | $ | 13,410 | |||
| Leasehold improvements funded directly by lessor (lease incentive) | $ | 2,919 | $ | - | |||
| Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures | ||||||||||||||||
| The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue to revenue on a constant currency basis, and ARPPU to ARPPU on a constant currency basis, respectively, for each of the periods presented. | ||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands of USD, except percentages) | 2026 | 2025 | Change | 2026 | 2025 | Change | ||||||||||
| Total Revenue | $ | 362,775 | $ | 378,041 | (4.0%) | $ | 1,022,112 | $ | 1,052,019 | (2.8%) | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 15,856 | - | N/A | 49,275 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 378,631 | $ | 378,041 | 0.2% | $ | 1,071,387 | $ | 1,052,019 | 1.8% | ||||||
| Revenue by Region | ||||||||||||||||
| Korea Revenue | $ | 169,307 | $ | 152,827 | 10.8% | $ | 428,218 | $ | 396,314 | 8.0% | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 4,070 | - | N/A | 17,614 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Korea Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 173,377 | $ | 152,827 | 13.5% | $ | 445,832 | $ | 396,314 | 12.5% | ||||||
| Japan Revenue | $ | 147,293 | $ | 179,624 | (18.0%) | $ | 451,987 | $ | 521,763 | (13.4%) | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 11,784 | - | N/A | 31,659 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Japan Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 159,077 | $ | 179,624 | (11.4%) | $ | 483,646 | $ | 521,763 | (7.3%) | ||||||
| Rest of World Revenue | $ | 46,175 | $ | 45,590 | 1.3% | $ | 141,907 | $ | 133,942 | 6.0% | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | - | - | N/A | - | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Rest of World Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 46,175 | $ | 45,590 | 1.3% | $ | 141,907 | $ | 133,942 | 6.0% | ||||||
| Paid Content Revenue | $ | 275,514 | $ | 286,814 | (3.9%) | $ | 800,893 | $ | 821,953 | (2.6%) | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 14,045 | - | N/A | 41,601 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Paid Content Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 289,559 | $ | 286,814 | 1.0% | $ | 842,494 | $ | 821,953 | 2.5% | ||||||
| Advertising Revenue | $ | 49,682 | $ | 39,367 | 26.2% | $ | 136,488 | $ | 124,485 | 9.6% | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 1,551 | - | N/A | 5,352 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Advertising Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 51,233 | $ | 39,367 | 30.1% | $ | 141,840 | $ | 124,485 | 13.9% | ||||||
| IP Adaptations Revenue | $ | 37,579 | $ | 51,860 | (27.5%) | $ | 84,731 | $ | 105,581 | (19.7%) | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 259 | - | N/A | 2,322 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| IP Adaptations Revenue on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 37,838 | $ | 51,860 | (27.0%) | $ | 87,053 | $ | 105,581 | (17.5%) | ||||||
| Paid Content Average Revenue Per Paying User ("ARPPU") | ||||||||||||||||
| Global ARPPU | $ | 12.3 | $ | 12.4 | (0.8%) | $ | 11.9 | $ | 12.2 | (2.8%) | ||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 0.7 | - | N/A | 0.6 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Global ARPPU on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 13.0 | $ | 12.4 | 4.2% | $ | 12.5 | $ | 12.2 | 2.3% | ||||||
| Korea Paid Content Revenue | $ | 108,880 | $ | 88,011 | 23.7% | $ | 289,290 | $ | 245,682 | 17.7% | ||||||
| Korea ARPPU | 9.4 | 8.0 | 17.6% | 8.5 | 7.8 | 9.1% | ||||||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 0.3 | - | N/A | 0.4 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Korea ARPPU on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 9.7 | $ | 8.0 | 21.1% | $ | 8.9 | $ | 7.8 | 13.9% | ||||||
| Japan Paid Content Revenue | $ | 134,802 | $ | 164,155 | (17.9%) | $ | 409,947 | $ | 475,632 | (13.8%) | ||||||
| Japan ARPPU | 22.3 | 23.6 | (5.8%) | 22.3 | 23.2 | (4.0%) | ||||||||||
| Effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations | 1.8 | - | N/A | 1.6 | - | N/A | ||||||||||
| Japan ARPPU on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 24.0 | $ | 23.6 | 1.8% | $ | 23.9 | $ | 23.2 | 2.8% | ||||||
| Rest of World Paid Content Revenue | $ | 31,831 | $ | 34,648 | (8.1%) | $ | 101,656 | $ | 100,639 | 1.0% | ||||||
| Rest of World ARPPU | 6.8 | 6.8 | (0.2%) | 6.8 | 6.6 | 2.9% | ||||||||||
| Rest of World ARPPU on a Constant Currency Basis | $ | 6.8 | $ | 6.8 | (0.2%) | $ | 6.8 | $ | 6.6 | 2.9% | ||||||
| ARPPU is calculated by taking Paid Content revenue and dividing it by the number of monthly paying users ("MPU") for such month, averaged over each month in the given period. ARPPU on a constant currency basis is calculated by dividing Paid Content revenue on a constant currency basis by the number of MPU for such month, averaged over each month in the given period. Where each metric is country specific, the numerator is Paid Content revenue on a constant currency basis by country and the denominator is users by country. Totals may not foot due to rounding. | ||||||||||||||||
The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin for each of the periods presented.
| Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands of USD, except percentages) | 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | ||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | (7,471 | ) | $ | (11,050 | ) | $ | (30,845 | ) | $ | (36,902 | ) | ||||
| Interest income | (4,170 | ) | (4,638 | ) | (13,029 | ) | (14,661 | ) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | 19 | 2 | 53 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Income tax (benefit) expense | (529 | ) | 626 | 9,080 | 2,341 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 6,493 | 7,940 | 21,834 | 24,784 | ||||||||||||
| EBITDA | $ | (5,658 | ) | $ | (7,120 | ) | $ | (12,907 | ) | $ | (24,432 | ) | ||||
| Stock-based compensation expense(1) | 7,678 | 9,625 | 27,408 | 35,123 | ||||||||||||
| Restructuring, advisory and legal fees(2) | 1,370 | 2,684 | 3,751 | 5,802 | ||||||||||||
| (Gain) loss on fair value instruments, net(3) | (1,125 | ) | 1,640 | (487 | ) | 4,016 | ||||||||||
| (Gain) loss on equity method investments, net(4) | (59 | ) | (1,709 | ) | (601 | ) | (1,647 | ) | ||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA (5) | $ | 2,206 | $ | 5,120 | $ | 17,164 | $ | 18,862 | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) margin | (2.1) | % | (2.9) | % | (3.0) | % | (3.5) | % | ||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA Margin | 0.6 | % | 1.4 | % | 1.7 | % | 1.8 | % | ||||||||
| Weighted average shares outstanding | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic | 135,714,833 | 130,644,101 | 134,869,055 | 130,204,411 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted | 135,714,833 | 130,644,101 | 134,869,055 | 130,204,411 | ||||||||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (0.30 | ) | ||||
| Diluted | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | $ | (0.30 | ) | ||||
| Adjusted EPS (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.04 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.14 | ||||||||
| Diluted | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.04 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.14 | ||||||||
| (1) Represents non-cash stock-based compensation expense related to WEBTOON's equity incentive plan and stock-based compensation plans of NAVER Corp. and Munpia Inc., including amounts which are cash settled. (2) Represents specific costs that are discrete to the periods presented and are not indicative of our core ongoing operations. For all periods presented, these amounts included non-routine legal and professional fees associated with the defense of the 2024 IPO related shareholder litigation, which are outside the ordinary course of business. For the three months ended September 30, 2026, these amounts also included (i) our portion of the related settlement, (ii) third-party advisory fees, including financial, tax and commercial due diligence and legal advisory fees, incurred in connection with acquisition-related transactions; and (iii) professional fees and severance costs directly related to the strategic restructuring initiative of our Wattpad business. The nine months ended September 30, 2026 also included advisory fees related to the Purchase Agreement that do not qualify as equity issuance costs, and a penalty and related professional fees, arising from a resolved regulatory matter concerning foreign exchange transaction reporting. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, these amounts also included professional service fees associated with the initial implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley (“SOX”) compliance and IPO readiness. (3) Represents unrealized net (gain) loss of financial assets measured at fair value, which include the Company's equity investments. (4) Represents our proportionate share of recognized gains or losses associated with our investments accounted for using the equity method. (5) Totals may not foot due to rounding. (6) The numerator for Adjusted EPS is calculated by adjusting Net Income (Loss) by the same items in the Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation. The denominator for computing Adjusted EPS is the same as that used for Basic and Diluted EPS. | ||||||||||||||||
Contact Information
Investor Relations
Michael Pak
...
Corporate Communications
Jungyoon Cha
...

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any
responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos,
licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues
related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Comments
No comment