Internet movie and TV subscription platform Netflix will expand to Japan this autumn, as it moves to complete its global rollout by end-2016. Internet-connected users will be able to subscribe to Netflix and watch movies and TV shows in HD or 4K where available. At launch, in addition to Japanese TV series and films, the Netflix offering will include original series such as Marco Polo, the dramatic thriller Sense8, Marvel’s Daredevil, and the documentary Virunga. The rollout in Japan, with about 36 million broadband households, will follow the previously announced March expansion of the Netflix service into Australia and New Zealand.
To facilitate close partnerships with consumer electronics makers and to work with Japanese film and TV creators, Netflix will soon open a regional office in Tokyo. Gregory Peters, chief streaming and partnerships officer at Netflix, has been promoted to general manager of Netflix Japan.
Netflix will be available at launch on smart TVs, tablets and smartphones, computers and internet-capable game consoles and STBs. Additional details on pricing, programming and supported devices will be available at a later date. Consumers can sign up to be alerted when Netflix is available on the Netflix website.
