Japanese domestic streamer, Abema TV, debuted its international strategy this month, saying its first stand at Mipcom marked the start of a new content era for the eight-year-old joint venture.

In some ways, Netflix was the inspiration for the new global push.

Abema's new season of "Is She The Wolf", which premiered on Netflix last year,revealed more than a twist in a game of true love.

The series,a blockbuster among Japanese women in their teens and 20s, was one of two announced by Abema and Netflix in February 2023.

The second title was “Falling in Love Like a Romantic Drama”. 

When they announced their new partnership, the platforms said that the Abema shows for Netflix would "have a different look and feel from the series currently streaming on Abema".

“Our content was viewed by so many people on Netflix that we felt there might be possibilities for us beyond Japan,” says Tatsuhiko Taniguchi, Abema TV’s contents headquarters VP and managing executive officer of tech/internet company, CyberAgent.   

Another reason for the timing of the international strategy is the success of Babel Label, the production house behind The Parades, 18 x 2 Beyond Youthful Days and Hard Days. 

Bigger budgets and higher production values, encouraged by the globalisation of entertainment content, mean greater international potential, Taniguchi says. 

Like Abema, Babel Label is part of the media universe created by Japanese internet company CyberAgent. Abema is a joint venture between CyberAgent and free-TV broadcaster TV Asahi. 

The platform offers more than 25 linear channels, with on-demand hybrid access, and multi-device support. 

In addition to anime production ambitions, Abema has plans to expand the footprint of its international pay-per-view platform, Abema Live, currently available in Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. Abema Live offers martial arts, anime and YouTuber events. 

Abema TV originally launched to target young audiences in Japan, who weren't (and still aren't) watching traditional TV. The service is mostly free, with some paid features. 

"We wanted to introduce a brand new service to young people," Taniguchi says.

Today, one in three teenage girls watches Abema programmes, including its 14 original reality shows. 

The alliance between CyberAgent and TV Asahi meant the platform had baked into its DNA from the start a hi-focus on UI, UX, operations, production and marketing blended with the traditional expertise and footprint of a national broadcast network. 

"We take full advantage of our parent company, CyberAgent... and also TV Asahi, which has a strong network all over Japan so that we can broadcast breaking news 24/7 to smart phones, for instance, if an earthquake happens... We call our concept future television," he adds. 

An edited version of this article appears in ContentAsia's eNewsletter of 28 Oct 2024