Amazon seems to be preparing for a Netflix-esque investment in foreign TV

Prime Video will soon be the international home for hit Japanese TV show Acma: Game

By Sam Barsanti  |  March 18, 2024 | 8:37pm
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Amazon seems to be preparing for a Netflix-esque investment in foreign TV
An Amazon pillow Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Amazon Studios

In a move that feels reminiscent of Netflix’s decision to throw money at South Korean TV shows last year just ahead of the Writers Guild Of America strike, Amazon has come up with its own way to avoid talking to American labor unions—whether that was the official goal or not. According to Deadline, Amazon has signed a “first-of-its-kind” deal with Japanese TV network Nippon TV to get the streaming rights to hit drama Acma: Game (a manga adaptation about the devil challenging people to a twisted game). Starting in April, two weeks after new episodes air on TV in Japan, they’ll be available on Prime Video.

This is apparently the first time Nippon TV has made a deal like this with a non-Japanese streaming service, with Nippon producer Naoto Fujimura comparing Acma: Game to other “psychological death battles” like Death Note and Squid Game (both of which are on Netflix, by the way). Circumventing American unions aside, there is another reason that specifically dealing with Nippon TV might be important to Prime Video: The company has funded almost every film made by legendary anime house Studio Ghibli, and while it already has an exclusive streaming deal with Max here in the U.S., this could end up being a pretty meaningful foot in the door for Amazon in terms of Japanese film and television even beyond Acma: Game.

Though not as potentially exciting, Amazon has also made a similar deal for BBC’s podcast library, bringing the wild world of British on-demand radio to American Prime Video subscribers. As of today, Prime’s Music Unlimited service has more than 50 ad-free BBC podcasts, with names like BBC Global News Podcast, The Global Story, Planet Premiere League, and Dua Lipa: At Your Service (so, covering a wide range of interests there).

 
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