Over the years, Disney has grown a long list of entertainment companies to include under their name. From Pixar, to Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. Even announcing last year anime content coming to Disney+. Now Disney can add another company to their their name, although in a partnership form rather than a buy-out.
Disney and Nippon TV have announced what they are calling a “strategic collaboration agreement”. Both companies have stated this “collaborative plan will include co-production of local language content ranging from drama series, animation to variety shows on Disney+ for both Japanese and global audiences and the availability of both companies’ content on their respective platforms.”
The latest edition of Nippon TV’s popular drama series “The Files of Young Kindaichi” (starring Shunsuke Michieda from Naniwa Danshi) will begin airing on Nippon TV on April 24, 2022. Afterwards, the series will be available to watch on Disney+ for the Japanese and worldwide audiences. This will mark the first time that Nippon TV content will become available to viewers globally on Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer platform.
The Files of Young Kindaichi is based on an original manga boasting over 100 million copies in circulation across 12 countries which also has an immense popularity as an anime series. This marks the fifth season of “The Files of Young Kindaichi” as a TV series. The series is a mystery-solving drama with a rich history since its debut on Nippon TV in 1995, garnering huge ratings each time a new series aired.
Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company (Japan), Carol Choi explained the purpose of introducing this particular show into Disney+ and the future goals. “As Disney moves into the world of local content production, we are excited to expand our collaboration with Nippon TV Holdings as one of our strategic partners, starting with a very popular title to audiences across Asia Pacific. This is a perfect fit for Disney as we focus on stories that connect people across generations and places, and stories that move people. We look forward to more long-term collaborative opportunities with Japanese creators, so as to bring the world’s best stories and Japan’s creative excellence to the global stage.”
President of Nippon Television Yoshikuni Sugiyama added, “Disney is a world leader in entertainment and a long-standing important partner for us. Over the years, we have worked together on many business initiatives, notably our broadcast of Disney titles on “Friday Roadshow”. It is an incredible honor to be able to develop our relationship further and join forces to advance our global expansion. I look forward to leveraging the creativity, vast reach, and brand power that both companies possess to deliver Japan’s content to viewers the world over.”
What do you think about this partnership? Are you looking forward to seeing more content from Japan on Disney+?
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