Prime Video, Netflix Lead Japanese SVOD Market

The number of SVOD subscribers in Japan hit 48.4 million in Q1 2022, per Media Partners Asia (MPA), driven by gains at Netflix and Prime Video.

The two global giants now hold a 48 percent share of the Japanese SVOD subscriber market, and 35 percent of measured premium video consumption. Amazon remains out front with 16.5 million subs and 23 percent of premium video consumption, according to MPA’s Japan Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics report. Netflix has a 14 percent share of the SVOD market, with Hulu Japan at 6 percent. Other key local players include Abema TV, TVer and U-Next. Disney+ is also gaining ground.

Vivek Couto, executive director of MPA, stated: “The premium video segment in Japan remains competitive. While Amazon retains a significant lead in the market, we saw material growth in subs and consumption share from Netflix in Q1, driven by the release of new live-action originals and a strong K-drama slate. Acquired and largely non-exclusive anime remains a massive driver of online video demand across platforms, exceeding 50 percent of total measured demand, with titles from ten animation studios capturing 45 percent of anime demand. Live-action dramas are particularly important for platforms like Hulu Japan, which leverages content from parent Nippon TV and others.”

As Couto indicates, local anime dominated consumption (51 percent), followed by live-action Japanese titles at 18 percent. American series command a 10 percent share, with U.S. movies and Korean dramas each at 7 percent.