Netflix¡¯s subscribers in Japan surpassed 10 million in the first half of this year with the streaming firm¡¯s Japanese-language programming grabbing attention in the growing market.
The subscriber base has doubled in the last four years and the streamer has recently released a string of well-received Japanese-language shows tackling subjects that set it apart from Japanese broadcasters.
¡°This year in particular we¡¯re happy that productions such as ¡¯Tokyo Swindlers,¡¯ ¡¯The Queen of Villains¡¯ and reality-romance show ¡¯The Boyfriend¡¯ have been watched by so many people,¡± said Kaata Sakamoto, vice president of content for Japan.
Only two English-language series, the live-action adaptation of manga ¡°One Piece¡± and the fourth season of ¡°Stranger Things,¡± have topped the viewing rankings in Japan since Netflix began disclosing them in 2021.
¡°Japan in particular is a country which wants to see a lot of its own content so we strongly feel the need to produce it,¡± Sakamoto said.
Netflix said in September it has signed a five-year contract with Hitoshi One, the director of ¡°Tokyo Swindlers,¡± a hit drama about real-estate scammers.
Streaming has encouraged consumers to watch foreign-language content, with entertainment players looking to Japan in recent years.
Amazon has adapted Sega¡¯s long-running ¡°Yakuza¡± game series and Sony is reportedly in talks to acquire media powerhouse Kadokawa to bolster its entertainment portfolio.
Netflix says Japanese content is its third-most-viewed non-English content after those in Korean and Spanish, and its anime titles were viewed more than 1 billion times globally last year.
Shares in the streamer, which has been boosted by an ad-supported tier and had 282.7 million subscribers globally as of the end of September, have climbed around 84% so far this year at Monday¡¯s close.
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