Asian streaming services claw back against Netflix and Disney

Local players must unite across regions to compete, the boss of Japan's U-Next says

20241226 U-NEXT and NETFLIX

Japan's U-Next streaming service believes it can compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney by partnering with both Japanese entertainment studios and streamers in other regions. (Nikkei montage)

CHIHIRO ISHIKAWA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Asian streaming services are chasing Netflix, Disney and other big streamers through partnerships and localized content as they try to loosen the grip of the U.S. giants in the fast-growing market.

"Our basic strategy is to hold all four corners of the non-drama series arena where Netflix hasn't reached yet," President Tenshin Tsutsumi of U-Next, Japan's second-largest streaming service behind Netflix, told Nikkei Asia in an interview, explaining that his company hopes to establish anime, movies, sports and music tiers and reach 5 million subscribers.

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