Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, has announced a new milestone in the Philippines, now reaching seven million people in the country every month. Wattpad has seen continued growth in the Philippines, the company’s second largest market. The company now has more than 65 million users globally, with 17 million located in Southeast Asia.
Wattpadders in the Philippines read more than 400 million minutes each month, and Filipino writers have shared more than 24 million story uploads on Wattpad. Filipino writers are some of the most successful on Wattpad, with millions of passionate followers. Local writers like @jonaxx, @maxinejiji, and others have built massive communities of fans, as readers spend hundreds of millions of hours with their stories.
Wattpad has established a number of high-profile partnerships with some of the Philippines most innovative technology and media companies. In January 2018, Wattpad announced $51 million in new funding from Globe Telecom’s Kickstart Ventures, China’s Tencent, and other international partners. The funds will support new investments in machine learning and interactive storytelling, expanding the company’s entertainment footprint in Southeast Asia and around the world. The company recently hired Dexter Ong as Head of Asia for Wattpad Studios, where he’ll focus on developing Wattpad stories for TV, film, digital media, and publishing across the region.
In 2014, Wattpad and TV5 established a groundbreaking deal to adapt hit Wattpad stories for TV. The Wattpad Presents TV series produced 250 episodes, reaching millions of Filipinos and establishing Wattpad as a household name in entertainment. Wattpad has worked with publishers, and TV and film producers across the Philippines to adapt Wattpad stories for the millions of passionate fans in the country. To date, the Philippines has adapted more Wattpad stories for print, TV, and film than any other country in the world.
“Wattpadders in the Philippines have embraced the future of entertainment, where technology and storytelling come together to empower new voices,” said Allen Lau, CEO and co-founder, Wattpad. “Filipino readers, writers, and entertainment executives were first to understand the true scope of our vision to entertain and connect the world through stories. As a result, hundreds of Filipino Wattpad stories have been turned into books, TV shows, and films, changing how entertainment gets made in the country.”
“Wattpad has transformed entertainment in the Philippines and around the world,” said Minette Navarrete, President, Kickstart Ventures. “They’ve built a community and technology that taps into our shared desire for stories, the most intimate and powerful form of human expression. Now they’re building a new, data-based framework for entertainment, sharing Filipino stories and voices with a global audience.”
Wattpad works with publishers, and TV and film studios around the world, building a data-driven approach to decision-making in entertainment. Outside the Philippines, some of Wattpad’s current partners include Universal Cable Productions, eOne, CW Seed, Hachette Romans, HarperCollins Children’s Books, to name a few.