The Walt Disney Company revealed on Wednesday that it is launching a new bundled subscription option in Japan that combines content from Disney+ and Hulu Japan.
Hulu Japan was spun off in 2014 from the US-based Hulu service, which is majority owned by Disney. Hulu Japan is owned and operated by a subsidiary of major Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV and the service has a lot of local Japanese content, including drama series, anime, variety shows, live music, and sports.
The new Disney+ and Hulu Japan bundle plan will launch for Japanese consumers on Wednesday and is priced at 1,490 yen per month including tax (about $10.75), which is 25 percent less than subscribing to each service individually. . Subscribers will have access to both locally popular Hulu Japan programming as well as live action and Disney’s flagship animated content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star.
The partnership is an extension of a strategic collaboration agreement signed between Disney Japan and Nippon Television Holdings last year, which aims to leverage content from both companies to build their respective platforms.
“By joining forces with Hulu Japan, we will bring high-quality global and local entertainment to audiences, offering more consumer choice at an attractive value,” said Carol Choi, CEO of Disney Japan. “We are confident that this package plan will appeal to an even broader audience in Japan.”
As a developed economy with high revenue per user potential, Japan remains an important long-term growth territory for all global subscription video services. As of the end of 2022, regional consultancy Media Partners Asia estimated Japan’s premium online video market to be worth $5.6 billion in annual revenue, making the country “the largest online video opportunity in APAC.” without China”. MPA estimated that Disney+ grew from a “relatively low base” during the second half of last year to reach approximately 3.4 million subscribers by early 2023 (the firm estimated that Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, which have been operating in Japan during years). longer, it had 16 million and 7.2 million subscribers, respectively).
Nippon Television Holdings President Akira Ishizawa added in a statement on Wednesday: “We are pleased to expand this relationship and collaborate in the SVOD field. By leveraging the creativity and brand affinity of Disney+ and Hulu Japan, we will deliver more content that consumers want to watch.”
