Japan

Golf’s PGA Tour has agreed a rights partnership in Japan with digital sports content and media group Perform for its PGA Tour Live service, while it has unveiled a host of new initiatives for its over-the-top subscription offering, including plans to stream content via social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.

Digital sports content and media group Perform has today (Tuesday) launched its new OTT sports subscription service, DAZN, in Japan.

Mixed martial arts promotion the Ultimate Fighting Championship has secured exposure on Japanese terrestrial television through a content partnership with commercial broadcaster Fuji TV.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation has awarded rights to its 2016 Youth U-15 Baseball World Cup to broadcasters across Asia.

The Perform Group told TV Sports Markets its deal for Japan’s J-League represented “great value” compared to many domestic football leagues, despite a rights fee four times higher than the previous value.

Interview with Simon Denyer, chief executive of the Perform Group, on its acquisition of J-League rights for 10 years from 2017 to 2026.

The Japan Professional Football League, organising body of club football in the country, has agreed a 10-season rights deal with digital sports media group Perform.

The J.League, the top division of Japanese club football, is set to agree a new broadcast rights deal with entities including telecommunications company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp and digital sports media group Perform, according to Kyodo News.

Japanese pay-television broadcaster Wowow has agreed a multi-year deal with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby for rights to the Top 14, the top division of French rugby union.

North America’s Major League Soccer has agreed a two-season rights deal with Japanese commercial broadcaster Fuji TV and has expanded its existing partnership with Le Sports, which is operated by Chinese internet company LeEco.

Japanese public-service broadcaster NHK has acquired rights for the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s (IFSC) 2016 season.

Emerging competition in Japan’s digital sector helped the MP & Silva agency earn significant profit on its deals for England’s Premier League and Spain’s LaLiga.

Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank has agreed to become the main commercial partner of the B. League in a deal which grants it media rights to the new top division of domestic basketball.

US wrestling organisation the WWE has added another key market to WWE Network’s global footprint, with the pay-television channel set to launch in Japan on January 5.

World Rugby, the global governing body of rugby union, has launched the tender process for the appointment of host broadcast services for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The MP & Silva agency has confirmed it has regained distribution rights for the English Premier League club football competition in Japan.