LINE relishes big growth, on to bigger things

MANILA, Philippines -  LINE Corp., which owns and operates the free calling and messaging app LINE, held its annual conference dubbed “Hello, Friends in Tokyo 2013” recently.

During the conference, now on its second year, it was announced that LINE has achieved 230 million registered users worldwide, representing a 460 percent growth over the last year.

The number of messages sent daily through LINE has also increased by 440 percent from the previous year and surpassed seven billion.

In the Philippines, LINE was launched early this year with instant warm reception from tech-savvy Filipinos. LINE’s Filipino user base grew exponentially when it launched its newest and first localized television commercial, starring young celebrities Matteo Guidicelli and Jessy Mendiola. Both brand new ambassadors are active through their official accounts and also have their own personalized stickers.

Other local official accounts include one for rapper Abra as well as accounts for companies such as MCA Music and Ivory Music.

LINE’s latest usage statistics, progress of its global expansion efforts, future strategies and upcoming services and features were also unveiled at the conference.

The new services and features announced this year are as follows:

• Video call feature: To be launched globally in the last quarter of 2013.

LINE will be adopting a new video call feature in addition to its voice call and messaging functions. Users can enjoy free video calls on supported devices (iPhone, Android and Windows and Mac PCs) and have face-to-face conversations with their distant lovers, family, and friends at any time.

• LINE Music: To be launched in Japan in 2013.

LINE Music is a music streaming service that enables users to purchase music of all genres within the LINE app, including J-pop, K-pop, and of course, Western music. Songs purchased through LINE Music can be shared with the user’s LINE friends, proposing a brand new way to enjoy music that is only possible through LINE. This service will be launched first in Japan, with a global rollout following shortly.

• LINE Mall: To be launched in fall 2013 in Japan.

LINE Mall is an e-commerce service optimized for the smartphone. It has been structured so all actions can be performed efficiently within the app itself. It will deliver a revolutionary shopping experience, in which anybody can buy and sell anytime or anywhere as long as they have a smartphone.

• LINE Games: The following titles will be released starting in the last quarter of 2013: LINE Fish Island (developer: NHN PlayArt Corp.), LINE Ironslam (WeMade Entertainment), LINE Let’s Golf! (TBC) (Gameloft), LINE MapleStory Village (NEXON Co. Ltd.), LINE Modoo Marble (CJ E&M Corp. & N2Play), LINE Nutlings Tournament (Boomlagoon Ltd.), LINE Puzzle Bobble (Taito Corp.), LINE Rainbow Chaser (NHN&OrangeCrew), LINE Revenant Gate (NHN PlayArt Corp.), LINE Shake Spears! (Alawar Entertainment), and LINE Sonic Dash (SEGA Corp.).

• LINE Web Store: To be launched this month (Japan and Taiwan).

The LINE Web Store is an online store in which users can purchase paid LINE stickers and LINE Game items from the Web browsers on their computers or smartphones. Usability and convenience will be improved by offering users a variety of payment options besides App Store and Google Play transaction systems, such as credit cards, PayPal, carrier billing, electronic money, and more. The Web Store will be offered first in Japan and Taiwan, followed by a gradual introduction into other countries.

LINE aims to achieve 300 million users worldwide within 2013, and will continue to enhance its services and contents and promote its global development in order to become an integral piece of lifestyle infrastructure for users all around the world.