Paramount+ has finally found a home in Japan. Paramount revealed Wednesday that the streaming service and its library will launch in the Japan market on Dec. 1 as a free-of-charge addition to the on-demand services of local operators J:COM and Wowow. J:COM is one of Japan’s top cable television operators and broadband internet providers, while Wowow is the longstanding leading premium pay channel in the market.
The deal marks the second launch for Paramount+ in East Asia, following a similar arrangement set up last year in South Korea with TVing, the streaming service controlled by Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. Parmount+ also launched in Australia via a partnership just in August.
The Japan deal will give J:COM and Wowow subscribers access to Paramount+ originals like Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The Paramount+ Japan offering also will include titles from Paramount’s deep library of films and TV series: Mission: Impossible, Bumblebee, and G.I. Joe from Paramount Pictures; popular CBS TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and NCIS; animated favorites, such as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and Comedy Central’s South Park; and evergreen Showtimes titles, such as Dexter 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 popular films and series to fans in all key streaming markets worldwide. It is an important milestone for us and a critical step for the future of our streaming business,” said Marco Nobili, executive vp and international gm of Paramount+ International.
The deal is an expansion of existing relationships between Paramount Global and both J:COM and Wowow. J:COM has licensed MTV and a variety of movies and dramas from the U.S. studio for years, while Wowow, Japan’s top movie channel for over two decades, also has been a steady buyer of the studio’s titles.
Added Yoichi Iwaki, president and representative director of J:COM: “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 like NCIS and CSI are highly acclaimed by our customers, and we will deliver attractive content, including Paramount+ original productions through J:COM Stream.”
“With this partnership, we are now able to offer a large volume of wonderful content from Paramount+, including films and international dramas, through Wowow on demand,” added Akira Tanaka, president and CEO of Wowow. “I also hope to explore further collaborations with both companies in the future and connect it to various new initiatives, using content.”
