Hatena

Basic Information

Stock Code
3930
Industry
Information and Communications Industry
Category Detail
Internet Site Operations
Prefecture
Tokyo
Establishment Year
July 2001
Listing Year
February 2016
Official Website
https://www.hatena.ne.jp/
TSE Information
TSE Information
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Overview

Hatena is a pioneering company in the information and communications industry founded in 2001, specializing in user-generated content and blog operations, and is a growing enterprise that develops and operates a variety of internet-related services.

Current Situation

Hatena recorded net sales of approximately ¥3 billion and operating profit of approximately ¥300 million in the fiscal year ended July 2022, establishing a stable revenue base. Its flagship content platform businesses 'Hatena Blog' and 'Hatena Bookmark' enjoy support from a wide range of users, while corporate blog services and advertising businesses are expanding. In the technology solutions business, the SaaS server monitoring service Mackerel and the co-developed manga viewer GigaViewer have been adopted by numerous publishers and are emerging as new growth drivers. Through long-term collaboration with Nintendo, it also provides game-linked services, advancing its high technological prowess and business diversification. Additionally, it emphasizes sustainability and community building, aiming to enhance competitiveness across both content and technology domains. The company is strengthening its organizational structure and actively investing to support future market expansion.

Trivia

Interesting Facts

  • Founder's pet dog 'Shinamon' serves as the company mascot
  • Developed renowned game-linked services through long-term collaboration with Nintendo
  • Grew from an early user-generated Q&A site
  • Features a strong user community known as 'Hatena Village'
  • Pioneering presence in Japan's major SNS and blog services
  • Hatena Bookmark wields significant influence in news dissemination
  • Manga viewer technology adopted by multiple publishers
  • Previously operated Flipnote Hatena for North America
  • CEO transition significantly contributed to service expansion
  • Implemented platform integration to enhance functionalities

Hidden Connections

  • Company symbol derived from a dog named after a character from Haruki Murakami's novels
  • Representative Junya Kondo is an influential IT entrepreneur within and beyond Hatena Village
  • Strong partnerships with KADOKAWA and Shueisha spanning business and personal ties
  • Unique market position from long-standing game service development with Nintendo
  • Experience operating one of Japan's largest SNS-style blog platforms
  • Hatena Blog influences corporate content marketing
  • Effective internal community building key to service vitality
  • SEO-optimized blog structure contributes to ad revenue

Future Outlook

Growth Drivers

  • Increasing demand for corporate content marketing
  • Expansion of digital content distribution market
  • Growth in game-linked services sector
  • Rising demand for SaaS infrastructure monitoring
  • User growth from online community revitalization

Strategic Goals

  • Achieve over 50% revenue from corporate business
  • Strengthen diversification of content platforms
  • Establish sustainability-focused operations
  • Create new services through technological innovation
  • Market expansion via global rollout

Business Segments

Content Platform Provision

Overview
Provides blog and content marketing services for corporations.
Competitiveness
High user trust and extensive content ecosystem
Customers
  • Individual bloggers
  • Small and medium enterprises
  • Large company marketing departments
  • Advertising agencies
  • Publishers
Products
  • Hatena Blog Business
  • Hatena Bookmark advertising
  • Content marketing tools

Technology Solutions

Overview
Provides cloud monitoring and digital distribution services for technical support.
Competitiveness
SaaS expertise and proven collaborations across industries
Customers
  • Publishers
  • Game developers
  • Major IT companies
  • System operations departments
Products
  • Mackerel
  • GigaViewer
  • Game-linked services

Game-Linked Service Development

Overview
Develops and operates game-linked services in collaboration with Nintendo.
Competitiveness
Strong partnership with Nintendo
Customers
  • Nintendo
  • Game publishers
Products
  • SmaPlus
  • Ikaring series

Advertising Agency Services

Overview
Offers advertising agency services for internet media.
Competitiveness
Targeting capabilities leveraging community engagement
Customers
  • Advertisers
  • Media companies
  • Agencies
Products
  • Ad delivery services
  • Content-linked advertising

Competitive Advantage

Strengths

  • Stable user base since founding
  • Diverse internet service offerings
  • Proven long-term collaboration with Nintendo
  • High technological capabilities and SaaS deployment expertise
  • Expansion of services for corporate clients
  • Content marketing know-how
  • Strong brand recognition
  • Extensive experience in content platforms
  • Flexible development organization
  • Reliable operations management

Competitive Advantages

  • Diversified user-participatory services
  • Broad partnerships with publishers and game companies
  • Strength in proprietary manga viewer technology
  • Recognition in the SaaS server monitoring market
  • Differentiation through corporate blogging
  • Strong community-building capabilities
  • Technical prowess for multi-platform support
  • Trust from long-term collaboration with Nintendo
  • Foundation for multi-language and multi-region expansion
  • Integrated marketing from advertising operations

Threats

  • Diversification and technological competition from rivals
  • Fluctuations in the internet advertising market
  • Strengthened privacy protection regulations
  • Risk of community shrinkage due to user churn
  • Impact from game market volatility
  • Emergence of new platforms
  • Rapid shifts in technology trends
  • Intensifying competition in the SNS market
  • Risk of personal information leaks
  • Uncertainty in legal and regulatory environment

Innovations

2024: Expansion of GigaViewer for major publishers

Overview
Began providing GigaViewer for Bungeishunju's web manga site 'Seasons'.
Impact
Improved profitability through increased media and service adoption

2023: Launch of manga artist submission and sales platform 'Mangano'

Overview
Jointly launched a platform to support manga artists with Shueisha, creating revenue opportunities for creators.
Impact
Expansion of content ecosystem and revenue diversification

2022: Collaboration on game-linked service 'Ikaring3' development

Overview
Jointly developed services linked to the Nintendo Switch title Splatoon 3 with Nintendo.
Impact
Strengthened technological capabilities in game-related services

2021: Release of app-dedicated manga viewer 'GigaViewer for Apps'

Overview
Developed and began providing an optimized manga viewer for smart devices to various companies.
Impact
Enhanced convenience for mobile users

2020: Enhancement of Hatena Blog Business

Overview
Revamped blog plans for small businesses to strengthen the corporate market.
Impact
Expanded acquisition of corporate users

Sustainability

  • Promotion of energy-efficient data centers
  • Strengthened moderation for healthy communities
  • Advancement of diverse work styles
  • Enhanced information security measures
  • Support for technology education in local communities