CJ ENM secured a multi-year distribution agreement with Walt Disney Company Japan to make its TVING streaming catalog available to Disney+ subscribers, the Seoul-based entertainment conglomerate announced Monday in Tokyo. The arrangement provides Disney+ with exclusive Japanese rights to as many as 60 TVING originals and CJ ENM drama series.
The partnership represents TVING’s first entry into Japan’s streaming market, where Amazon Prime Video controls roughly one-third of subscriptions and Netflix accounts for about 14 percent. TVING Chief Executive Julie Choi described the deal as critical to transforming the domestic platform into what she termed a “global K-OTT platform.”
Disney+ will begin streaming TVING content starting Nov. 5, including established titles such as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God and Reply 1988. The thriller Dear X debuts Nov. 6 in simultaneous release with its Korean premiere.
CJ ENM’s international licensing strategy has accelerated following a similar October agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to distribute TVING content across Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia through HBO Max. The company faces mounting pressure to generate overseas revenue as South Korea’s domestic streaming market remains constrained by population size and intense competition.
Korean dramas currently account for roughly one-quarter of Netflix viewing in Japan, according to industry research, though converting viewer interest into sustainable licensing revenue remains uncertain for Korean studios.
