ViacomCBS and Wattpad Team Up to Create Originals

• Wattpad and ViacomCBS are teaming up to produce original series based on successful Wattpad and Webtoon hits. 
• The company announced that the streaming service would also include Paramount +.
• The originals will appeal to Gen Z and millennial audiences and will feature a variety of genres.

ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has partnered with Wattpad Webtoon Studios to develop new content and work with talented creatives from Latin America, Europe, and the UK. As part of their new partnership, Wattpad Webtoon Studios will create original content for ViacomCBS's various channels and properties, including Paramount +.

ViacomCBS plans to mine stories from Wattpad and Webtoon, which Naver acquired for more than $600 million earlier this year. Under the deal, for which they didn't disclose the financial details, they will produce a slate of original series based on Wattpad and Webtoon digital comics and stories, and a total of more than 30 Paramount+ originals aimed at Gen Z or millennial audiences, covering various genres. These would fuel the streaming platform as it continues its global roll-out, including an expansion into Europe in 2022.

Ari Tan, VP of the head of the strategy at ViacomCBS International Studios, said, "Our goal is to tell authentic, local stories from emerging creatives around the world. Through our new partnership with Wattpad Webtoon Studios, we will be able to use this exciting, data-driven approach to inform and amplify new creative talent across our global platforms."

The Wattpad Webtoon Studios president, Aaron Levitz, stated: "The Wattpad Webtoon Studio is filled with some of the most creative, new voices in comics and literature. With a massive IP catalog with built-in fanbases and a roster of superstar comic artists and independent authors, we're igniting a new era in data-backed entertainment."

In June, Wattpad Webtoon Studios merged entertainment and publishing divisions of digital comics platform Webtoon with digital storytelling platform Wattpad, resulting in the first major global partnership. Also, they produced a Float adaptation recently and collaborated with Lionsgate, Collective Pictures, and Brightlight Pictures.