Paramount+ has finally found a home in Japan. Paramount revealed Wednesday that the streaming service and its library will hit the Japanese market on December 1 as a free addition to on-demand services from local operators J:COM and Wowow. J:COM is one of the largest cable TV and broadband internet providers in Japan, while Wowow has been the leading premium pay channel in the market for many years.
The deal marks Paramount+’s second launch in East Asia, following a similar deal struck in South Korea last year with TVing, the streaming service operated by Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. Parmount+ only launched in Australia through a partnership in August.
The deal with Japan gives J:COM and Wowow subscribers access to Paramount+ originals such as Tulsa King, Mayor of KingstownAnd Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The Paramount+ Japan offering also includes titles from Paramount’s extensive library of films and TV series: Mission Impossible, BumblebeeAnd GI Joe from Paramount Pictures; popular CBS TV shows such as CSI: Crime scene investigation And NCIS; animated favorites, like those from Nickelodeon Spongebob Squarepants and Comedy Central South Park; and evergreen Showtimes titles, such as Right And Ray Donovan; and MTV’s young adult series and music shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
“With the launch of Paramount+ in Japan, we are now delivering hours of hit films and series to fans in all major streaming markets worldwide. It is an important milestone for us and a crucial step for the future of our streaming business,” said Marco Nobili, executive vp and international gm of Paramount+ International.
The deal expands existing relationships between Paramount Global and both J:COM and Wowow. J:COM has for years licensed MTV and a variety of films and dramas from the US studio, while Wowow, Japan’s top movie channel for more than two decades, is also a regular buyer of the studio’s titles.
Yoichi Iwaki, president and representative director of J:COM, added: “We are pleased to bring Paramount’s diverse content to the people of Japan through this new partnership. In particular, the group’s drama series such as NCIS and CSI have been highly praised by our customers, and we will deliver compelling content including Paramount+ original productions via J:COM Stream.”
“Through this partnership, we are now able to offer a wealth of great Paramount+ content, including films and international dramas, on-demand through Wowow,” said Akira Tanaka, president and CEO of Wowow. “I also hope to explore further collaborations with both companies in the future and connect them with various new initiatives using content.”
