LINE users now exceed 300 million worldwide

MANILA, Philippines - LINE, the world’s leading mobile platform, announced that its user number has surpassed 300 million worldwide.

Since its launch on June 23, 2011, LINE has seen an astonishing growth in its user base around the world by offering a rich variety of features from voice and video calls to sticker messages.

In the Philippines, LINE is fast becoming the most popular mobile messaging app behind the introduction of local partnerships and tailor-made services.

“To further localize our services, we partnered with Smart to launch the All-Day LINE plan,” said Greg Kim, senior manager of LINE Plus Corp.

“Our partnership lets prepaid Smart subscribers enjoy the full range of LINE’s dynamic services for an incredibly affordable price,” Kim added.

LINE has also initiated partnerships with other established local enterprises, including Bench, Jollibee, Megaworld, and MCA Music. In fact, these companies have launched their LINE official accounts, which allow Filipino users to receive their news, updates, and promos through the mobile messaging app.

According to Kim, these brand collaborations will create more localized content and meaningful engagements for LINE users in the Philippines.

Kim said they have unveiled an exciting new roster of features and services for Filipino users, including a quirky collection of locally inspired stickers, video messaging and Snap Movie features.

“Soon, we will also see the integration of LINE Mall, LINE Music, and LINE Web Store to the Philippine LINE experience,” he said.

“LINE’s ultimate goal is to create a one-of-a-kind mobile ecosystem in the Philippines, which is one of our key markets in Asia. To achieve this, we will continuously enhance our platform with strategic local partnerships and specialized services,” he added.

Recently, LINE released special-edition stickers to support victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda. The stickers, which deliver messages of sympathy using popular LINE characters, are now available worldwide and their proceeds will be donated to relief programs and rebuilding efforts in typhoon-battered cities around the country.

In addition to East Asia, where LINE has established a strong foothold, user numbers are also growing steadily in Hispanic regions such as Spain and Mexico.

Currently, the company is focusing on the acquisition of new users in India, Turkey, and West European countries, including France, Germany and Italy, by carrying out localized promotional campaigns and strengthening partnerships with local mobile network operators and device manufacturers.

In India, where the smartphone market is expanding rapidly, the offering of localized content and stickers featuring local celebrities has allowed to LINE to achieve an impressive 10 million users only three months after officially entering the market. A total user base of 20 million in India is anticipated before the end of 2013.

The company’s global efforts have rapidly accelerated the pace of growth in user numbers, with 19 months taken to achieve the first 100 million users, six months for the next 100 million, and only for months between 200 million and 300 million users.

Akira Morikawa, CEO of LINE Corp., said, “LINE will work toward further enlarging its user base as a global communication service, and enriching the lives of its many users.