Netflix announced that it will make its streaming service and original content available in Japan starting September 2nd, calling Japan their gateway to the Asian market, while the price of Netflix stock shot up to a record high following the news.
Netflix opened up a Japanese landing page and Twitter account early in conjunction with the announcement.
Founded in 1997, the California-based Netflix is available in more than 50 markets, across the Americas and large areas of Europe. Following a busy year of expansion it is now available in the Australian and New Zealand markets as of March of this year, with plans to launch in Spain, Italy, and Portugal in October.
The company has set a goal of establishing a presence in 200 countries by the end of 2016.
In the last financial quarter the company said they signed almost 1 million new subscribers in the U.S., on top of 2.4 million internationally. This brought their total to 66 million paying subscribers.
Expanding into Japan will not be without its difficulties. Streaming outlet Hulu gave up after three years, finally selling its Japanese operation to a local broadcaster last year –thought it continues to do well in the U.S. market.
Netflix Original Content
With business booming and the cash piling up, Netflix has invested heavily in original content. The strategy is working –Kevin Spacey won the best actor award for House of Cards at the Golden Globes this year. Last year Netflix won seven Emmy awards, as well as its first Oscar for a documentary short.
Netflix surges 8% to all-time high on news of new price target and Japan launch date http://t.co/0Awrwe9GQE
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) August 5, 2015
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