Netflix Pacts with The Seven in Japan

Expanding its Japanese live-action lineup, Netflix has entered into a strategic partnership with local production outfit The Seven, a division of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings.

As part of the five-year alliance, The Seven will produce a range of Japanese live-action titles that will be made available on the streamer’s global footprint. Netflix previously worked with The Seven’s Akira Morii on Alice in Borderland. Morii, who leads development and production at the outfit, is currently working on Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead and Yu Yu Hakusho.

The Seven is set to have access to a new soundstage being built within Midoriyama Studio City, Yokohama. The new deal expands on Netflix’s alliance with TBS, which has a slate of drama series on the platform.

Kaata Sakamoto, VP of content for Japan, commented, “The Seven aims to tell stories from Japan in new ways, unbound by traditional creative limitations. Our partnership gives them the scale in production and budget, the creative freedom and the reach to share their groundbreaking showstoppers with the world.”

Morii added, “Streaming has been a game-changer in that these platforms increased opportunities for Japanese films and shows to be seen around the world. The success of Alice in Borderland convinced us that stories from Japan can reach global audiences. It’s a great example that compelling visuals created with incredible attention to detail by Japanese local creators touched the hearts of fans worldwide. At The Seven, we hope to tell amazing stories with an ever-evolving team by learning from, and working in tandem with creators around the world as well as here in Japan.”

Tatsuo Sugai, president of The Seven, added, “The Seven’s mission is to deliver ‘compelling moments’ to audiences around the world with stories developed and produced in completely new ways, right here from Japan. Today, our team is finally at the starting line. Joining us are producers with experience developing in global titles, and a seasoned business team who will all have access to state of the art production facilities. In combination with our partnership with Netflix, we are full steam ahead to bring best-in-class stories to the world.”