In 2023, the Japanese manga app Piccoma made more than $675 million in sales transactions. This surpasses any previous digital comics or manga service, emphasizing the significant profitability of digital manga distribution.
Piccoma’s parent company Kakao Corporation reported that this was the first time an app primarily focused on manga achieved over 100 billion yen in annual sales, approximately $675.2 million.
According to market analysis firm data.ai, Piccoma was ranked the 17th best-performing non-game app globally based on transaction volume.
When excluding gaming apps entirely, it placed 7th, surpassed only by digital titans like TikTok, YouTube, Disney+, and more. The figures illustrate the explosion of growth in digital manga and Piccoma’s dominant status as a vital platform for the medium.
While names more popular to US audiences, like Manga Plus and Shonen Jump, also saw success, Piccoma’s milestone highlights it as leading the way forward in manga’s digital revolution. Its unprecedented sales clearly showcase manga and anime’s strengthening hold on global entertainment.
Piccoma Surpasses $675 Million in Annual Sales
Following this global expansion, Piccoma’s CEO Kim Jaeyong expressed a commitment to nurturing further growth, saying, “We will make every effort to advance the global comics space by connecting users to even more enjoyable content.”
However, official platforms like Piccoma face challenges meeting demands for quick translations and accessibility, as well as combatting privacy. Recently, Kakao has taken aggressive actions against sites failing to address these issues. In the past few weeks, Kakao targeted Tachiyomi, an immensely popular manga app that suspended development after Kakao’s actions. This follows Kakao identifying and reporting owners of another piracy site last December, leading to its closure.
Meanwhile, the official platform MANGA Plus aims to satisfy global readers through “simulpubs” – simultaneously publishing new manga chapters first released in Japan. This ensures minimal delays for international audiences.
As Piccoma and its partners confront obstacles like impatience and illegal distribution, their efforts underscore the complexities of managing a truly global, digital manga audience. Success requires balancing accessibility, timeliness, and copyright law amidst surging worldwide demand.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
