Nippon TV Holdings & Disney Enter Strategic Collaboration

Nippon TV Holdings has entered into a strategic collaboration with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) that includes the co-production of local-language content, ranging from drama series and animation to variety shows.

The co-produced shows on Disney+ are for both Japanese and global audiences. The pact also covers the availability of both companies’ content on their respective platforms.

The latest edition of Nippon TV’s drama series The Files of Young Kindaichi, starring Shunsuke Michieda from Naniwa Danshi, will begin airing on Nippon TV from April and thereafter will be made available on Disney+ for Japanese and worldwide audiences. This marks the first time that Nippon TV content will become available to viewers globally on Disney’s direct-to-consumer platform.

Yoshikuni Sugiyama, representative director and president of Nippon Television Holdings, commented, “Disney is a world leader in entertainment and a long-standing important partner for us. Over the years, we have worked together on many business initiatives, notably our broadcast of Disney titles on ‘Friday Roadshow.’ It is an incredible honor to be able to develop our relationship further and join forces to advance our global expansion. I look forward to leveraging the creativity, vast reach and brand power that both companies possess to deliver Japan’s content to viewers the world over.”

“As Disney moves into the world of local content production, we are excited to expand our collaboration with Nippon TV Holdings as one of our strategic partners, starting with a very popular title to audiences across the Asia Pacific,” said Carol Choi, managing director of The Walt Disney Company (Japan). “This is a perfect fit for Disney as we focus on stories that connect people across generations and places and stories that move people. We look forward to more long-term collaborative opportunities with Japanese creators so as to bring the world’s best stories and Japan’s creative excellence to the global stage.”