who’swhostreaming...
Watch list Taiwan and Japan are awash with domestic streaming services offering everything from free-TV catch-up to a growing slate of originals. Malena Amzah looks at who’s who in the two markets that top the list of local streamers by volume among 18 countries in Asia. 2019, directed by Masaharu Take), about pornography pioneer Toru Muranishi; The Forest of
mestic streaming services in the first half of this year,
Love (premieres Oct 2019, produced by Hiroshi Muto), about the merciless Jo Murata; and
led by Taiwan, with 18 platforms (excluding regional/
Followers (2020, directed by Mika Ninagawa), about a group of Tokyo-ites crossing path
global streamers although they are increasingly ad-
through social media. Netflix is also backing Japanese original, Alice in Borderland (2020),
ding Chinese content) and Japan, which has 15 plat-
based on Haro Aso’s sci-fi manga about a life-or-death
forms (excluding Amazon Prime Video, which is focu-
game directed by Shinsuke Sato (Kingdom).
sed almost entirely on Japan and India, and Netflix).
Netflix’s 2019 commissions also include kids ani-
Including regional/global players, we counted 24
mated comedy Dino Girl Gauko from Japan-
platforms in Taiwan and 20 in Japan.
ese creator/showrunner Akira Shigino, pro-
Japan has three platforms on the list of the 15 bi-
duced by Hitoshi Mogi (Crayon Shin-chan,
ggest streaming earners in Asia Pacific identified by
Line Town). In addition, Netflix has inked
Media Partners Asia (MPA) in 2019. The three Japane-
partnerships with three local compa-
se platforms are Hulu Japan, dTV and Niconico. Hulu
nies – Anima, Sublimation and David
Japan places 9th, followed by dTV in 10th spot and
Production – for titles such as Altered
Niconico at 12th.
Carbon: Resleeved from Anima and
Combined, the 15 take 70% of total online video revenues in the region this year. MPA says Japan is
Dragon’s Dogma from Sublimation. Amazon headliners out of Japan
the largest online video country by revenue (ex Chi-
include the third season of the
na). In total, Asia Pacific advertising and subscription
local adaptation of Warner Bros’
revenue this year (ex China) is forecast to be US$11
The Bachelor, released in Sep-
billion. By 2024, this is expected to more than double
tember 2019. 31-year-old entre-
to US$23 billion.
preneur, Shinya Tomonaga,
Both global, regional and local streaming services
plays the bachelor
are backing original production in Asia, some more
in the new series.
than others but together driving up output, content
Amazon
spend and opportunity.
adapting
Global streaming wars are already well under
is
also The
Bachelorette for
way in Japan – an Amazon stronghold – with Netflix
Japan. The show
upping its executive firepower on the ground and
goes into producti-
pushing forward with its anime and other originals.
on this month.
Apple TV+ has included Japan in its 1 November roll
The Bachelorette, Amazon Prime Video Japan
Asia had at least 134* home-grown dedicated do-
Excluding
global
out, but hasn‘t disclosed any content localisation.
streamers,
Japan‘s
Disney+ is expected to roll out in Japan in 2020.
2019 online video re-
Netflix‘s 2019 originals slate out of Japan includes
venue leader – Hulu
the eight-part The Naked Director (premiered Aug
Japan – has invested in a few, high-end co-
* The 18 countries ContentAsia looked at are China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Regional streaming platforms were only counted if they have strong localisation for domestic audiences in specific countries.
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-productions. Hulu Japan, which launched in Japan in 2011 and was acquired by commercial free-TV powerhouse Nippon TV in early
contentasia issue five, october 2019