As the Q4 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the digital media & content platforms industry, including WEBTOON (NASDAQ: WBTN) and its peers.

AI-driven content creation, personalized media experiences, and digital advertising are evolving, which could benefit companies investing in these themes. For example, companies with a portfolio of licensed visual content or platforms facilitating direct monetization models could see increased demand for years. On the other hand, headwinds include growing regulatory scrutiny on AI-generated content, with many publishers balking at anything that gets no human oversight. Additional areas to navigate include the phasing out of third-party cookies, which could make traditional ways of tracking the online behavior of consumers (a secret sauce in digital marketing) much less effective.

The 6 digital media & content platforms stocks we track reported a softer Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.6% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 6.1% on average since the latest earnings results.

Weakest Q4: WEBTOON (NASDAQ: WBTN)

Pioneering a vertical-scrolling format optimized for mobile devices, WEBTOON Entertainment (NASDAQ: WBTN) operates a global platform where creators publish serialized web-comics and web-novels that users can read in bite-sized episodes.

WEBTOON reported revenues of $330.7 million, down 6.3% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 4.6%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Junkoo Kim, Founder and CEO said, “We are pleased to report solid fourth quarter results, with revenue in line with our expectations and Adjusted EBITDA above the top end of our guidance range. For the full year, we delivered revenue growth of approximately 4% on a constant currency basis and Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $19 million, marking our third consecutive year of growth and profitability.”

WEBTOON delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 24.5% since reporting and currently trades at $8.70.

Is now the time to buy WEBTOON? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Stride (NYSE: LRN)

Formerly known as K12, Stride (NYSE: LRN) is an education technology company providing education solutions through digital platforms.

Stride reported revenues of $631.3 million, up 7.5% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. The business had a very strong quarter with revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 17.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $85.10.

Is now the time to buy Stride? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD)

Originally a pioneering technology publisher founded in 1927 that became famous for PC Magazine, Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD) operates a portfolio of digital media brands and subscription services across technology, shopping, gaming, healthcare, and cybersecurity markets.

Ziff Davis reported revenues of $406.7 million, down 1.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 42.6% since the results and currently trades at $42.13.

Read our full analysis of Ziff Davis’s results here.

Getty Images (NYSE: GETY)

With a vast library of over 562 million visual assets documenting everything from breaking news to iconic historical moments, Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a global visual content marketplace that licenses photos, videos, illustrations, and music to businesses, media outlets, and creative professionals.

Getty Images reported revenues of $282.3 million, up 14.1% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 15%. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it logged EPS in line with analysts’ estimates and full-year revenue guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

Getty Images scored the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 6% since reporting and currently trades at $0.81.

Read our full, actionable report on Getty Images here, it’s free.

IAC (NASDAQ: IAC)

Originally known as InterActiveCorp and built through Barry Diller's strategic acquisitions since the 1990s, IAC (NASDAQ: IAC) operates a portfolio of category-leading digital businesses including Dotdash Meredith, Angi, and Care.com, focusing on digital publishing, home services, and caregiving platforms.

IAC reported revenues of $646 million, down 10.5% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. However, it was a softer quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

IAC had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 2.2% since reporting and currently trades at $37.61.

Read our full, actionable report on IAC here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.