The company announced the expansion Thursday. The Toronto-based firm’s platform lets users to self-publish their own stories online. The companies did not disclose details of the deal. (Globe and Mail)

Talking point: This is Wattpad’s first major European expansion; its studios division has already moved into Asia and the U.S. Much of its recent partnerships have been focused in film and television, such as its deal with Sony Pictures Television, announced in April, where the two firms will co-produce Wattpad’s original stories for television. This partnership with Penguin Random House, an established publisher, shows Wattpad’s continued commitment to the publishing space. A major advantage for Wattpad is its engaged user base. It has over 70 million users and encourages a direct author-reader connection, with users reading and leaving detailed comments on each other’s work. That means staff can go through the most-engaged-with stories and choose what to pitch to networks. But as the platform grows, it’s been running into similar problems as its larger counterparts, like YouTube and Twitter, around content moderation. Many users have reported stories that romanticize abuse; they allege Wattpad has not taken down content they’ve reported.