[KADOKAWA Co., Ltd.] KADOKAWA has entered into a business partnership with Kakao Piccoma. The latest stories of serialized works that can be read for free are updated daily! Joint launch of groundbreaking electronic manga magazine, one of the largest IP creation devices in Japan
KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. Press release: December 11, 2024 KADOKAWA has entered into a business partnership with Kakao Piccoma. The latest stories of serialized works that can be read for free are updated daily! Joint launch of groundbreaking electronic manga magazine, one of the largest IP creation devices in Japan KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Director, Representative Executive Officer, President and CEO: Tsuyoshi Natsuno, hereinafter referred to as the Company) has entered into a partnership with Kakao Piccoma Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Kim Jae-ryu, hereinafter referred to as Kakao Piccoma). We would like to inform you that we have decided to enter into a business partnership regarding the planning, production, and distribution of manga content in the e-book business (hereinafter referred to as the “Business Alliance”). Image
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publishing/IP creation segment, which is the source of the media mix, is an important driver, and we will aim to increase the number of new IP points created from the publishing business to 7,000 or more. We are aiming for In addition, as the need for e-books has increased in the publishing market in recent years, there are expectations for the creation of IP (born digital) based on e-books. Additionally, sales of our e-book business have grown at an average annual rate of 15.3% over the past five years, making it a business with remarkable growth within the segment. We expect this market to continue to grow, centering on the comic genre, and we recognize that expanding this business is one of the most important challenges for achieving long-term growth for the entire group. Kakao Piccoma launched the electronic manga/novel service “Piccoma” in 2016, and was the first in Japan to introduce “Wait 0 yen (R)”, which allows you to read one chapter of each work for free just by waiting every day. We distribute over 160,000 works (*1) in various genres, including popular manga, novels, and original works, and are currently used by over 10 million users every month. The app version of “Piccoma” has exceeded 45 million (*2) downloads since its service release on April 20, 2016. In 2023, we simultaneously achieved “annual transaction amount of over 100 billion yen” and “No. 1 consumer spending in the Japanese app market” in Japan (*3). Our company and Kakao Piccoma have
collaborated on many fronts, including the exclusive distribution of our e-book works on Piccoma and our conversion of popular works distributed by Piccoma into paper books. Through this business alliance, by linking the strengths of both companies, such as our diverse IP creation capabilities and Kakao Piccoma’s strong platform foundation, we will contribute to medium- to long-term business growth and increase corporate value by: We will continue to promote this. • Creation of Japan’s largest IP generation device • In addition to frequently creating original works in a variety of genres that can be enjoyed by both boys and girls as well as adults, we are not limited to fields in which we have traditionally excelled, such as
“otherworldly works,” and we are also promoting the discovery and training of artists. , further strengthen our ability to create new IP. • Expansion of e-book business, including distribution • By leveraging Kakao Piccoma’s powerful platform, we aim to increase the distribution volume of our e-books and expand this business. • Maximize IP LTV • Through the above initiatives, we will create mega-hit works that are loved by more users, and maximize the value of IP through our media mix development, including animation and live-action film adaptation. (*1) As of November 2024 (*2) The cumulative number of downloads is the total of iOS/Android as of May 2024 (*3) Company research based on data.ai’s 2024 Mobile Market Year Ship, Sensor Tower’s 2023 Manga App Market Insight Report, and Impress Research Institute’s E-Book Business Research Report 2023. , 2023 annual transaction amount ■Contents of this business alliance Our company and Kakao Piccoma are launching “MANGA Bar,” an innovative electronic manga magazine that provides free daily updates of the latest episodes of original serialized works. Our editorial department plans, produces, and edits manga content that is updated weekly on “MANGA Bar.” The content we create is not limited to the otherworld genre, which we have been working on ahead of other companies, but also the boy comics and youth comics that have driven the high growth of the Japanese manga market to date, as well as the women’s comics that have become popular in recent years. We plan to develop a wide variety of works, including works for the On the other hand, in conjunction with the launch of “MANGA Bar” within “Piccoma,” Kakao Piccoma will launch a new service “¥0 Mag” that allows anyone to view the latest episodes for free on the work update date. In addition, we have created a “display area” exclusively for “MANGA Bar” at the top of the top screen, and we have leveraged the know-how of manga apps to create the optimal UI (user interface) and UX (user experience). In addition, we will increase the distribution volume and maximize the value of our electronic manga works by implementing various sales promotion measures using SNS etc. not only for “MANGA Bar” but also for each content serialized there. I will try. ■Service overview
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/7006/16038/7006-16038-c4fc05974316aa4a5e254d572a689f29-645×149.png Service name: Electronic manga magazine “MANGA Bar” App download: http://piccoma.com/web/redir/853 Official website:
https://piccoma.com/web Service launch: December 16th (Monday) 11am How to use: Available on the latest version of the “Piccoma” app and the official “Piccoma” website Service features: • At the time of launch, we plan to publish a weekly series of seven works, one for each day of the week. • Manga in various genres such as action, fantasy, boys and girls, and youth are distributed exclusively in advance every week. • Works are updated once a week on the specified day of the week. Anyone can enjoy the latest episode for free on the day of update. • You can also read previous stories for free if you meet the conditions. For more information on the service, please refer to the release released today: “The first electronic manga magazine “MANGA Bar” jointly developed by KADOKAWA and Kakao Piccoma starts service on December 16 ~ The latest stories of original serials that can be read for free are updated daily! Please refer to ~. ■Impact on performance The impact of this matter on consolidated results for the current fiscal year is minimal. ■About KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. A
comprehensive entertainment company that operates businesses such as publishing, animation/live-action video, games, web services, education/EdTech, etc. We discover talent from all over the world and create a variety of IP (Intellectual Property), which we develop in a variety of media. We are promoting the maximization of IP value by promoting the “Global Media Mix with Technology” strategy, which uses technology to deliver the IP we create to the world.
https://group.kadokawa.co.jp/