KidariStudio
KidariStudio is a South Korea-based digital content company that creates and distributes webtoons and web novels through its Bomtoon and Delitoon platforms, and licenses IP globally including to ByteDance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
KidariStudio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KidariStudio
- Legal name
- KIDARISTUDIO, Inc.
- Website
- https://kidaristudio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- KidariStudio is a South Korea-based digital content company that creates and distributes webtoons and web novels through its Bomtoon and Delitoon platforms, and licenses IP globally including to ByteDance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KidariStudio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Webtoon and Web Novel Platforms
- NAICS
- Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kids & Family Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAG)
Keywords
Where KidariStudio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
KidariStudio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Platform Revenue: Revenue from owned webtoon platforms including 봄툰 and 델리툰, with increasing overseas platform payment growth
- Content Distribution: Export of webtoon IP to overseas markets including ByteDance platforms, supplying approximately 1,300 webtoon IPs
- Goods/Merchandise: MD goods and merchandise sales derived from IP characters, showing strong growth with 119 billion won in first half 2024 exceeding full year 2023
- Film/Drama Adaptation: IP-based content expansion into web dramas, games, interactive content and short-form video content
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels2 records
KidariStudio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KidariStudio is a digital content company that creates, produces, and distributes webtoons, web novels, and films through its own consumer platforms and global licensing partnerships. Its core businesses are the Bomtoon and Delitoon paid webtoon platforms, an in-house webtoon/web novel production studio, a film division, and an IP commercialization arm that licenses characters into merchandise, games, dramas, and NFTs across 9 languages and 12 platforms.
Product overview
KidariStudio is a comprehensive digital content company that creates and distributes webtoons, web novels, and films. The company operates an integrated content platform business model, combining in-house content production with proprietary distribution platforms. Its platform portfolio includes 봄툰 (Bomtoon), Korea's leading female-focused webtoon platform with 4 million+ readers, and 델리툰 (Delitoon), Europe's largest webtoon platform operating across France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Beyond platforms, KidariStudio produces webtoons and web novels through its production studio, creates films, and acquired Lezhin Entertainment (2021) to expand its global platform reach. The company also expanded into NFTs, games, and short drama content as secondary IP businesses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 봄툰 (Bomtun): Korea's #1 female-focused content platform with 4 million readers, offering webtoons, novels, shopping, video content, and global services in romance, BL, and GL genres.
- 델리툰 (Delitoon)
Products and services
- Bomtoon (봄툰) Korea's leading female-focused paid webtoon and web novel platform with over 4 million readers, offering the largest annual slate of new exclusive female-oriented webtoons across romance, BL, and GL genres and expanding into novels, shopping, video, and global services.
- Delitoon (델리툰) Europe's first paid webtoon platform and largest such service, originating in France and expanded to Germany (2020), Spain, and Italy (2021), featuring romance, fantasy, drama, shonen, and action titles translated from Korean, Chinese, and Japanese source material.
- KidariStudio Webtoon Production Studio (키다리스튜디오 웹툰제작스튜디오) In-house webtoon production studio employing 120+ creators to produce original webtoon and web novel IP that feeds the Bomtoon, Delitoon, and Lezhin platforms and supports global IP licensing.
- Web Novel (웹소설) Publishing Web novel publishing business producing original serialized novels distributed through KidariStudio's owned platforms, particularly integrated with the Bomtoon ecosystem for romance, BL, and GL titles.
- Film Production (영화) Film production business that develops and produces film and web drama adaptations based on KidariStudio's owned webtoon and web novel IP, including web dramas, short-form video content, and interactive content.
- IP-based Merchandise (MD goods) Merchandise and goods derived from KidariStudio's webtoon characters, sold across channels including integrated shopping inside the Bomtoon platform; generated 119 billion KRW in H1 2024, exceeding full-year 2023's 76 billion KRW.
Quantifiable outcome
- 400만 readers on 봄툰 platform
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use KidariStudio
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
KidariStudio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
KidariStudio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights7 records
KidariStudio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Naver Webtoon: The largest global webtoon platform and Naver Corporation subsidiary. Directly competes with KidariStudio across webtoon production, platform distribution, and IP licensing with a comparable business model and overlapping target markets.
- Kakao Entertainment: Korean entertainment conglomerate operating Kakao Page and Piccoma. Competes head-to-head with KidariStudio's Bomtoon and Lezhin platforms in content creation, distribution, and IP expansion across webtoon and web novel.
- Piccoma: Japan-focused webtoon and web novel platform operated by Kakao Entertainment Japan. Directly comparable in cross-border content distribution, particularly for Japanese market access and translated Korean content.
- Webtoon Entertainment: North American webtoon platform and Naver affiliate. Competes directly with KidariStudio's international platforms in English-language webtoon distribution and global IP licensing.
- Tapas Media: US-based digital comics and novel platform with similar ad-supported and coin-based monetization. Closely comparable platform business model and Western market focus for serialized content.
- LINE Manga: Japanese webtoon and manga platform operated by LY Corporation (formerly LINE). Competes in Japanese-language webtoon distribution and cross-border content licensing in Asian markets.
Regional players
- Kuaikan Manhua: One of China's largest webtoon platforms with deep domestic penetration. Adjacent competitor operating in the same webtoon production and distribution category with similar creator-driven business model.
- Bilibili Comics: Digital comics platform operated by Bilibili within its broader entertainment ecosystem. Competes in Chinese-language webtoon distribution with adjacent anime/manga crossover content.
Broad incumbents
- Wattpad: Global web novel platform owned by Naver with hundreds of millions of users. Comparable in web novel content distribution and serialized fiction monetization, with significantly larger scale and English-language reach.
- Crunchyroll: Sony-owned global anime and Asian content streaming platform. Adjacent incumbent serving overlapping Asian-entertainment demographics with subscription-based distribution of Asian-originated content.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
KidariStudio social profiles
Digital presenceKidariStudio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KidariStudio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
KidariStudio subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
KidariStudio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KidariStudio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KidariStudio
What does KidariStudio do?
KidariStudio is a digital content company that creates, produces, and distributes webtoons, web novels, and films through its own consumer platforms and global licensing partnerships. Its core businesses are the Bomtoon and Delitoon paid webtoon platforms, an in-house webtoon/web novel production studio, a film division, and an IP commercialization arm that licenses characters into merchandise, games, dramas, and NFTs across 9 languages and 12 platforms.
Is KidariStudio a public or private company?
KidariStudio is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was KidariStudio founded?
KidariStudio was founded in 1996. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is KidariStudio based?
KidariStudio is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does KidariStudio make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Platform Revenue is the primary driver. The others are content Distribution, goods/Merchandise and film/Drama Adaptation.
Who are KidariStudio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Naver Webtoon, Kakao Entertainment, Piccoma, Webtoon Entertainment, Tapas Media and LINE Manga. Regional players are Kuaikan Manhua and Bilibili Comics. Broad incumbents are Wattpad and Crunchyroll.
Does KidariStudio have an API?
No public API is recorded for KidariStudio.
What industry is KidariStudio in?
KidariStudio's product category is Webtoon and Web Novel Platforms. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAAAG, Kids & Family Streaming Platforms. Its NAICS code is 516 and its SIC code is 7812.