Amazon will be launching Prime Video in Japan next month, with the service to offer both local content and TV shows and movies from the United States.
The online streaming service of Amazon will be joining Netflix, which is also entering the market in September, Hulu and several local platforms in the suddenly crowded video on demand market in Japan.
Amazon Prime has been operating in Japan for around 10 years, making deliveries within the country. Prime Video's online video streaming will be an added service at no additional cost for current members that are paying the annual fee of ¥3900, which is equivalent to about $32.50.
"As we've shown with the launch of Prime Video in the U.S. and around the world, we are investing significantly to bring high-quality, local and popular programming to Prime members, and our customers in Japan should expect the same investment," said Amazon Japan president Jasper Cheung.
Cheung added that Amazon Japan knows the kind of entertainment that customers in the country want, and that the company will be delivering such entertainment through Prime Video at no additional cost to Prime members.
While Amazon has not yet announced if it has plans to create original Japanese programs, the company said that it will be revealing details for the local content to be included in the Prime Video service in Japan over the coming weeks.
Amazon is expected to develop exclusive content for the Japanese market though, which will likely include local dramas and anime.
"Prime members in Japan will love what we introduce just for them," said Roy Price, the VP of Amazon Studios which spent $1.3 billion on production of original content last year.
The announcement comes after Netflix revealed earlier in the week that it will be teaming up with SoftBank, a telecommunications and Internet company in Japan, for its launch on Sept. 2 in Japan. This marks the first time that Netflix is going to be offered in a country in Asia, with the two companies providing hints of plans to produce original local content.
Prime membership in Japan, however, is about half the price of the planned offering of Netflix in the country, as the annual Prime membership translates to a monthly payment of about $2.70, as compared to the planned monthly payment for Netflix that is equivalent to about $5.40.
