U-Next and PPJ merge to take on Netflix, Amazon

U-Next, a Japanese video streaming service, and Premium Platform Japan (PPJ), a domestic rival, announced plans to merge on Friday as they struggle to survive in an increasingly competitive market dominated by foreign companies.
After the merger on March 31, the combined company will have combined sales of approximately 80 billion yen ($593 million) and more than 3.7 million paid subscribers, placing it in second place behind Netflix in terms of market share.
U-Next, has 2.85 million paid customers and is entirely controlled by the Japanese content production company Usen-Next Holdings. Almost 300,000 works from many different genres are available on it, including foreign plays, movies, publications, music, and sports. In the intensely competitive paid video streaming market, it is the only domestic provider that has maintained steady growth.
Media corporations like Nikkei Ltd., TV Tokyo Holdings, TBS Holdings, and others have backed PPJ since its founding in 2017. With roughly 850 000 paid customers and 50,000 titles available, Paravi, its video streaming service, has a significant focus on homegrown dramas and variety shows that were formerly broadcast on broadcast TV.
By July, the two companies will integrate their services. It is expected that Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus, and other foreign services will compete more intensely with the merged company in Japan than Hulu.