Online subscription-based streaming of films and television programs has seen an uptick in Japan in recent years, and with the coronavirus pandemic keeping more people at home, that trend appears to be intensifying.
The growth in the market is led by foreign companies globalizing operations on the back of their financial clout, with Netflix Inc. sitting on top as the hands-down market leader.
Netflix scored a huge success with "The Naked Director," its first web drama television series produced in Japan and based on a nonfiction novel about a Japanese adult video director. With its unconventional plot and celebrity cast including Takayuki Yamada in the lead role, it was the most viewed Netflix original drama in Japan in 2019.