Japan

DAZN has secured a new contract to continue showing Ligue 1 in Japan throughout the decade, but has lost rights to the French top flight in Portugal, SportBusiness has learned.

Japanese streaming service U-Next has brought forward its Premier League rights deal by one season, after outgoing broadcaster SpoTV ended its contract a year early

Uefa has finalised its broadcast deals in major markets for the European Championships ahead of this Friday's kick-off, with a late deal secured by CAA Eleven with Japanese pay-television broadcaster Wowow and streaming platform Abema.

The move represents the first time Amazon has picked up rights in Japan to a sports competition not involving Japanese athletes, following previous coverage of boxing and baseball events.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is to stage three live shows in Japan this summer, marking its return to the country following a five-year absence and further strengthening its commitment to the Asia-Pacific market.

Streaming service U-Next is close to finalising a deal for exclusive media rights to the Premier League and FA Cup in Japan, SportBusiness understands

Wowow, the pay-television broadcaster in Japan, has retained exclusive media rights to Uefa club competitions in the country for the 2024-27 cycle

Broadcast rights to the Premier League and the FA Cup are being sold together in Japan and South Korea, some of the first international territories in which the rights have been bundled, SportBusiness…

The arrival of a third Japan-linked sponsor for the Los Angeles Dodgers since the signing of superstar Shohei Ohtani is adding new commercial impetus for the Major League Baseball side.

Sadayuki Sakakibara, commissioner of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, has revealed that the opening games of next year’s Major League Baseball season will be held in the country.

The National Football League wants to play more fixtures in new markets as part of the doubling of its international series to eight games in 2025, with France and several Asian countries atop its list. 

Broadcast deals in Australia, Japan and South Korea have been secured for golf’s TGL as the high-profile indoor league prepares to make its long-awaited debut at the start of 2025.

Abema, the Japanese streaming platform, has struck a sports content partnership with Wowow, the pay-television broadcaster in the country.

World Athletics has named the nutritional supplements and snacks company Morinaga as the sixth Japanese sponsor of the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in 2025.

Japanese streaming company U-Next has further bolstered its mixed martial arts portfolio by agreeing a multi-year rights deal with US promotion the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

DAZN has hired Yu Sasamoto as chief executive of its Japan business, one of the global subscription streaming service's most important markets