WebComics for BBM Debuts in Indonesia with 200+ Titles at Launch
Jakarta, Indonesia – 7 June, 2017 – Creative Media Works, operating as BBM, today launches WebComics for BBM fans in Indonesia. Launched in partnership with Korean webtoon and webnovel publisher Neobazar, the free service provides a huge selection of titles, both local and from abroad.
Comic fans will find WebComics in the Discover menu within BBM Messenger. From there, they can browse through a diverse catalog of titles and categories — ranging from romance, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, comedy, drama, sports and action — which will be updated regularly with new installments.
At launch, over 200 titles will be available with 135 Webtoons and 65 Webnovels. Some of the more popular titles include Dokgo (Outsider), Great Wife, and 37.2 Degrees. Illustrators include internationally-recognized Baek Seung-Hoon, whose work has been made into movies and Is Yuniarto, winner of numerous comic competitions and creator of The Grand Legend Ramayana, which has been published for the first time as a paperback version in Japan.
BBM is one of the largest mobile messaging applications in the world. Since it was created in August 2005, BBM has evolved from a pure messaging application for communication (text and video) to a social ecosystem unifying chat, social, commerce and services including bill payment, top-up, vouchers/coupons, news, games, video, shopping, travels, career and polls.
WebComics or “manhwa” tell graphic, serial stories like comics published in books and newspapers—only they are published periodically online. Originally from South Korea, webcomics are gaining popularity throughout the Asia-Pacific region, a cultural mania fueled by internet and smartphones.
“We know that people spend more time in their message apps than anywhere else on their mobile devices,” said Matthew Talbot, CEO of Creative Media Works, the company which operates and runs BBM globally. “We’re working to bring more content to our users—particularly our most active and devoted fans in Indonesia—in the place where they’re spending their time. WebComics make a great addition, providing a ton of great reading for people on the go.”
“We are very happy to add WebComics and webnovels as new content to BBM users in Indonesia where consumption of digital contents is ever increasing. BBM users can instantly enjoy our content with one click from the Discover menu without installing a new app,” according to Jinil Seong, CEO of NeoBazar Inc. “Moreover, we want to cooperate with Indonesian authors, publishers and content creators to enrich the service with local content.”
*Note
At launch, WebComics for BBM will be available on Android; iOS will be available from June 14, 2017.
————————–
About BBM
On 27 June 2016, Creative Media Works, a division of PT Elang Mahkota Teknologi Tbk. (Emtek, IDX:EMTK) – one of Indonesia’s largest media, content and technology businesses – announced a long term strategic alliance with BlackBerry Limited to accelerate consumer BBM’s research and development in offering new and exciting features, services and content to the global consumer market. As part of this strategy, BBM is making its APIs available to expedite the growth of partners and consumer services such as:
- Content – music and video streaming, games, sports, news, celebrity blogs, horoscopes and more
- Commerce – shopping, gifting and coupons/vouchers
- Online to Offline Commerce – booking movies, travel, health services, real-estate or job postings
- Finance – P2P payments, money transfer, mobile phone re-charge, and utilities billing
Creative Media Works now operates under the BBM banner as a stand-alone consumer focused business with teams operating from Waterloo, Mississauga, Ottawa, Singapore, Jakarta, UAE and South Africa. For more information, visit www.bbm.com.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BBM and BBM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, used under license, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
iOS is a registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries.iOS® is used under license by Apple Inc.
Windows® Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries
About Neobazar
Founded in January 2015, NeoBazar Inc has focused on digital content publishing such as games, WebComics and WebNovels. In 2016, it established its legal entity in Indonesia to service its digital contents direct: PT. Neo Bazar Indonesia.
Partnered with major IP owners and content creators from Korea and Indonesia, NeoBazar is trying to satisfy ever increasing need of digital contents in Southeast Asia. It hopes to meet and partners with local IP owners in the region, especially Indonesia.
The company is headquartered in Seoul, but main operation from Jakarta. For more information, please visit www.neobazar.net.
For more information, please contact:
Jann Yip | Director of Marketing & Communications, BBM | jyip@bbmtek.com
Vinda Karuna Mudita | Praxis | vinda@praxis.co.id
