Tving Expands into Japanese Market After Southeast Asia... Forms Global OTT Alliance

Official Entry into the Japanese OTT Market via Disney+
“Tving Collection” Branded Section Launches Tomorrow
Minimizing Entry Costs While Establishing Itself as a K-Content Hub

Local online video service (OTT) TVING is partnering with Disney Plus (Disney+) to enter the Japanese market, which is valued at approximately 11 trillion won. Following its decision to expand into Southeast Asia with HBO Max, this marks the company’s second foray into an overseas market. Analysts note that TVING is forming alliances with global OTT platforms to enhance its influence as a K-content hub.

On the 4th, TVING announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Disney’s OTT platform, Disney+, and will launch a branded section called “TVING Collection” within Disney+ Japan. This is the first time Disney+ has opened a local OTT brand section on its platform in the Asia-Pacific region.

Starting from the 5th, the TVING Collection will sequentially release popular content, ranging from TVING originals to hit titles from CJ ENM. According to global market research firm Precedence Research, the Japanese OTT market was estimated at around 8 billion dollars (approximately 11.4 trillion won) as of last year, and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 22.5% until 2034. The number of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) users in Japan has surpassed 50 million, with a usage rate among the population that is among the highest in the world.

Previously, TVING announced that it would introduce a TVING brand section within HBO Max, which operates in 17 regions across Asia-Pacific including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, early next year. This expansion into Japan follows that move, and represents a strategy of entering overseas markets as a brand rather than through individual content. Through this approach, TVING aims to establish itself as a key global hub for K-content while minimizing initial entry costs and marketing risks. The company plans to leverage the infrastructure of local platforms to raise global user awareness.

Both HBO Max and Disney+ are considered part of the global “big three” in content, boasting powerful franchise IPs. By building partnerships with these two companies, TVING aims to emerge as a strategic partner that forms a new axis in the global OTT landscape, going beyond simply supplying content. Until now, the overseas expansion of Korean content has largely relied on global platforms such as Netflix.

As TVING expands its global footprint, domestic creators and production companies are also gaining greater momentum for international growth, opening up more diverse avenues for connecting with overseas markets. In line with its global push, TVING will premiere its original series “Dear X” simultaneously in 19 countries, including Korea, Japan, and other Asia-Pacific regions.

A TVING representative stated, “Through joint planning and co-production, we expect not only to expand touchpoints with overseas viewers but also to design global strategies from the initial planning stages of content.” The representative added, “This case demonstrates that Korean content is no longer dependent on overseas OTT platforms and that continuous international expansion is possible with domestic platforms taking the lead.”

TVING CEO Choi Juhui said, “We will continue to introduce attractive K-content to more global customers around the world and strive to become a global K-OTT platform, surpassing our position as Korea’s number one.”

Tamotsu Hiiro, President of The Walt Disney Company Japan, commented, “By combining compelling Korean storytelling with Disney+ blockbusters and popular local titles, we will offer viewers an even richer and more immersive viewing experience.”