The app attracted global attention last summer when a story broke that Mark Zuckerberg had made a personal phone call to Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin for a possible acquisition, but was rebuffed. (image: Naver)
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Biziwre) – Korean Internet giant Naver announced Tuesday that its video-sharing app Snow surpassed the 100-million mark in total downloads, setting a new milestone for the app, which has seen rapid growth in popularity in East Asian and Southeast Asian markets.
Snow was launched in September 2015, and according to Naver, its MAU (monthly average users) currently stands at roughly 40 million to 50 million.
Snow’s features are similar to Snapchat, allowing users to send short, self-destructing images, or use camera filters to transform themselves into animals, food, or other figures and objects offered by the platform, similarities so deep that the app is often referred to as “the Asian Snapchat”.
The app attracted global attention last summer when a story broke that Mark Zuckerberg had made a personal phone call to Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin for a possible acquisition, but was rebuffed.
Other companies that reportedly expressed their interest in Snow included Tencent and Alibaba.
“It is true that Snow received calls from some renowned tech companies,” said a Naver official last year in response to the rumors.
Snow used to be operated under Camp Mobile, a Naver subsidiary. But following its success, the app has been operating as an independent corporate entity since July of last year.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
