Netflix confirms September launch in Japan, its first foray into Asia

Tech in Asia reported in February that Netflix would be entering the Japanese market this fall. Today, the US-based video streaming company confirmed that it would launch on September 2. Despite international availability – primarily in the Americas and Europe – Japan will be the first country that offers Netflix in Asia.

When it comes to Hollywood-caliber content, Netflix has only one major competitor in Japan: Hulu, which sold to domestic television network Nippon TV in February 2014. But while Hulu struggled to branch out beyond the US and Mexico, Netflix is already available in more than 50 markets – and it hopes to increase that number to 200 by the end of next year.

Japanese internet and telco giant SoftBank has a streaming service, BBTV Next, that offers some western television programming – but it costs more than double what Hulu Japan charges monthly (US$7.50 vs. US$15.90). For Asian content, there’s also Rakuten-owned Viki and DramaFever.

While Netflix stated that it would bring original programming like Daredevil and Marco Polo to Japan, it has yet to confirm if the more popular House of Cards or Orange is the New Black will make it across the Pacific. The company will also offer a host of Japanese content, but it’s unclear if that content will be available with English subtitles for international viewers living in Japan (a common complaint about Hulu Japan’s offerings).

We’ve reached out to Netflix and will update this post if they reply.

(Source: Venture Beat)