Most commonly used paid video streaming services Japan 2022

According to an online survey conducted in May 2022, Amazon Prime Video was used by more than two thirds of paid video streaming service users in Japan. Netflix was used by almost 24 percent of the respondents.

The Japanese streaming market

Video and music streaming services constitute a growing market in Japan. The number of people who use paid video streaming services increased considerably in recent years and is expected to grow further. While it took some time for the market to take off, it became increasingly contested after Netflix and Amazon Prime Video started their operations in September 2015. Disney followed with its own service in 2019. Next to these global players, a number of domestic services exist, such as U-Next, dTV, and WOWOW On Demand. According to an estimate of the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market that was based on user fees, Netflix was the leading service in terms of market share. Many services offer free trial options, so that customers can get to know their content. Surveys on the perception of content amount and content exclusivity show that Amazon Prime Video and Netflix ranked highest in both categories among major services.

Growing influence of the internet on the media market

The growth of streaming services is emblematic for current developments in the Japanese media industry. While many traditional media forms, such as broadcasting and newspapers, are stagnating or declining, internet-related media continues to grow. As of 2019, the online media content market accounted for more than a third of the total media content market. While streaming services were still relatively small compared to some of the more traditional media, they constitute an attractive market with high growth potential. Netflix, for instance, invests heavily in the production of new content by cooperating with local content producers in order to gain an advantage over its competitors. The growth of the market goes hand in hand with other technological developments, such as the spread of smartphones and faster internet connections.