• Naver V Live Will Officially Merge with Weverse in the First Half of 2022

    At the 'Hybe Company Briefing with Community' held on October 4th, Hybe announced its plan to introduce a new upgraded fandom platform by creating synergy with Naver's strong R&D capabilities such as search and artificial intelligence. The new version of Weverse will include V Live's "spot live" function

    Currently, Weverse is in the midst of integrating with Naver V Live. It is expected to grow into a comprehensive fan platform equipped with e-commerce, streaming, and communication functions at the beginning of next year.

    The monthly active users (MAU) of Weverse is about 5.3 million. As of last year, if integration with V Live, which has 100 million global downloads and 30 million monthly users, is achieved, it will secure over 35 million users. Korea Investment & Securities analyzed that the number of monthly users of the integrated platform will reach 45 million by next year.

    Park Ha-kyung, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities, said, "The average ARPU of Weverse last year was estimated at $81 (about 92,620 won), which is a 27% increase from the average of $64 in the previous year and expected to reach 110 dollars (126,874 won)"

    Source(1)

  • BLACKPINK’s Jisoo Secretly Helped Her Friend Get a Role? Choi Hee Jin Reveals How Their Friendship Led to a Cameo in ‘Newtopia’

    Actress Choi Hee Jin, who impressed viewers with her performance in Motel California, opened up about her close friendship with BLACKPINK’s Jisoo — and how it led to her special cameo in Newtopia.

    Choi Hee Jin recently wrapped up her role as veterinarian Yoon Nan Woo in MBC’s Motel California, which ended on February 15th.

    The actress met with reporters on February 14 at her agency, Saram Entertainment, to talk about her busy schedule and her unexpected role in Newtopia.

    The actress revealed that her cameo in Newtopia happened because of her bond with Jisoo, who stars as the female lead in the drama.

    “Before I signed with my current agency, when I wasn’t with any company, I was offered the role of Jisoo unnie’s best friend in *Snowdrop. Even before the director contacted me, Jisoo unnie had already told me about it”, Choi Hee Jin shared.

    She added, “The director knew about the chemistry Jisoo unnie and I had in *Snowdrop*. Even though the role was very small, they asked if I would be willing to make a cameo in *Newtopia. It really is a tiny part”, she said, smiling shyly.

    The actress emphasized that the opportunity felt special because it reflected her real-life friendship with Jisoo. “There was really no one else but me who fit the role as her close friend, so they asked if I could do it. It’s a very small part, but I was happy to do it”, she said.

    Choi Hee Jin also shared how touched she was by the love she still receives for her past work with Jisoo.

    “Jisoo unnie personally reached out to me too, and we’re still very close. But more than anything, I was grateful that people still remember me from *Snowdrop. Since I made a special appearance this time, I’d love to ask Jisoo unnie to return the favor with a cameo in one of my future projects”, she said with a laugh.

    Fans are loving the sweet friendship between the two actresses — and many are already hoping to see them share the screen again in a bigger project!

    Source: [1]