Variety: Max to Debut in Japan Within U-Next Platform

Story from Variety:

Warner Bros. Discovery will give Max, its enhanced streaming service, its first outing in the Asia-Pacific region beginning next week in a partnership with Japan’s U-Next.

As in Europe and other territories where it has already launched, Max represents both a wider content offering to Japanese viewers than forerunner HBO and a technological upgrade. However, the Max app, which will offer even more functionality, is not yet being launched in the Japan market.

From Wednesday next week, Max on U-Next will be available as a branded environment, with its own user interface, within the Japanese streaming platform. It will offer more than 16,000 episodes of over 2,500 titles from Warner Bros. Discovery’s entertainment brands, including HBO, Harry Potter, the DC universe, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

The deal between the two groups also includes Warner Bros. Discovery acquiring Japanese content in tandem with U-Next for distribution on Max globally.

Described as a new partnership, the corporate relationship expands on a distribution agreement U-Next signed with Warner Media (now Warner Bros. Discovery) in March 2021 and renewed in 2023.

“Japan is one of the region’s leading streaming territories, and as its fastest growing domestic OTT platform, U-Next is a fiercely local player that deeply understands the market. Max on U-Next is an evolution of our partnership, helping us to reach Japanese consumers faster and more effectively, as well as creating opportunities for homegrown storytelling to be shared with global audiences,” said James Gibbons, Warner Bros. Discovery president for APAC. “We look forward to rolling Max out across Asia Pacific through a number of different, locally relevant strategies.”

“We are thrilled to have entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to launch Max exclusively on U-Next,” said Tsutsumi Tenshin, CEO of U-Next. “We also see this as a major opportunity to expand the reach of some of the best Japanese IP to millions of subscribers globally via the Max platform.”

Programming available on Max on U-Next includes HBO and Max Originals scripted series that will premiere at the same time as they debut in the U.S., including new episodes of “The Penguin,” “Dune: Prophecy” and new seasons of “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon” and “The White Lotus.”

Harry Potter is hugely popular in Japan. And all the Harry Potter franchise films will be available for unlimited streaming in Japan in 4K/HDR quality. Other 4K/HDR content is to follow.

Hollywood movies and Max Original films will premiere exclusively, including “Salem’s Lot” and “Juror No. 2.” Popular shows from Warner Bros. Television including “The Big Bang Theory” and “Friends” will also be available, alongside an expanded offering of premium factual entertainment and kids programming, such as “Deadliest Catch,” “Gold Rush” and “Tom and Jerry.”

Both Gibbons and U-NEXT COO Honda Toshi are speakers at next week’s APOS conference in Indonesia next week.