Japan’s premium video-on-demand sector experienced significant growth in 2025, with total revenue reaching $7.2 billion, a 15% increase from the previous year. This growth can be attributed to platforms diversifying their revenue models, including ad-supported subscription options, and investing more in domestic programming and live sports rights.
According to a report from Media Partners Asia, three services dominate half of the market’s total revenue. Netflix leads in revenue share with 22%, while Prime Video has the highest number of subscribers at 19.3 million, benefiting from cross-promotion within its retail and e-commerce operations. Local service U-Next commands 12% of revenue by offering an integrated content package that includes streaming video, manga, music, and exclusive sports programming.
Subscription video platforms collectively gained 4 million subscribers in 2025, bringing the total to 67.9 million when including YouTube Premium. Netflix saw significant growth, driven by a partnership renewal with telecom major KDDI and strong performance from Japanese originals. Sports streamer DAZN also contributed through its inclusion in telecom player NTT Docomo’s ahamo Max mobile service, while the Disney+/Hulu Japan combined package expanded its reach.
Total viewing across premium VOD platforms reached 8.1 billion hours in 2025. Broadcaster-backed free streaming service TVer captured the highest share of total watch time at 23%, while Netflix achieved superior per-subscriber engagement with users averaging close to 20 hours monthly.
Local productions continue to be a major draw for viewers, accounting for 80% of all streaming hours. Animation, in particular, is a popular genre, with “Spy x Family” being the most-watched title in Q4 2025. Japanese live-action series and variety formats dominated TVer’s AVOD programming, while Netflix and Amazon delivered notable original productions.
Major platforms are now focusing on live event programming. Netflix secured exclusive rights to the 2026 World Baseball Classic, TVer plans to carry selected competitions from the 2026 Winter Olympics, and U-Next is expanding its sports portfolio with coverage of women’s golf majors and English Premier League soccer.
Dhivya T, lead analyst at MPA, stated that Japan’s premium VOD market has reached a critical maturation point, with growth now dependent on sophisticated monetization strategies. The entry of major players into live sports and the dominance of local content suggest that competition in the market will revolve around event-driven engagement and premium storytelling.
The data for this report was gathered from MPA’s Japan Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics report, which tracks viewing behavior across mobile devices and connected television through the company’s measurement platform, AMPD.
