Max to Launch on Japan’s U-NEXT

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has extended its alliance with U-NEXT, bringing Max to the Japanese streaming platform next week.

The Max hub lands on U-NEXT on September 25, delivering more than 16,000 episodes from 2,500-plus titles from WBD’s entertainment brands, including HBO, Harry Potter, the DC universe, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. HBO and Max originals will premiere at the same time as the U.S. launch. The collection of Hollywood movies will include all the Harry Potter films in 4K/HDR high quality. Max on U-NEXT will also deliver a gradually expanding selection of high-quality 4K/HDR content.

In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery will acquire Japanese content with U-NEXT for distribution on Max globally.

Tenshin Tsutsumi, CEO of U-NEXT, noted: “We are thrilled to have entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to launch Max exclusively on U-NEXT. Warner Bros. Discovery has consistently delivered high-quality content such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Sex and The City, creating innovative and bold IP that have stood the test of time, and continue to capture the attention of fans worldwide. As a long-term partner of Warner Bros. Discovery, we also see this as a major opportunity to expand the reach of some of the best Japanese IP to millions of subscribers globally via the Max platform.”

James Gibbons, president for AsiaPac at WBD, added: “Japan is one of the region’s leading streaming territories, and as its fastest-growing domestic OTT platform, U-NEXT is a fiercely local player that deeply understands the market. Max on U-NEXT is an evolution of our partnership, helping us to reach Japanese consumers faster and more effectively, as well as creating opportunities for homegrown storytelling to be shared with global audiences. We look forward to rolling Max out across Asia Pacific through a number of different, locally relevant strategies. More news on this will be shared in the coming weeks.”

WBD has been in a distribution pact with U-NEXT since 2021 covering HBO content.