Netflix has secured exclusive rights to stream the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Japan, marking its first live event broadcast in the country. The deal with Major League Baseball deepens the streamer's push into live sports by tapping into one of the world's most passionate baseball audiences.
A league of its own: The move is a calculated bet on Japan's massive baseball viewership. The 2023 tournament showed the scale, with one game drawing an audience that Sports Business Journal compared to an NFL Divisional playoff game in the U.S. National fervor is fueled by superstars like Shohei Ohtani, whose championship-winning strikeout in 2023 became an iconic moment for the tournament.
The live sports playbook: The deal advances Netflix's strategy to "eventize" its platform with high-profile live programming, following commitments to broadcast NFL games and WWE's Monday Night Raw. The company is also reportedly a frontrunner for MLB's Home Run Derby rights in the U.S.
This deal shows how major sports leagues are increasingly looking to global streaming platforms to reach dedicated fanbases abroad, while Netflix continues to selectively buy into marquee live events to drive growth and differentiate its service. Kaata Sakamoto, Netflix's VP of Content in Japan, said the goal is to bring a "new kind of viewing experience" to Japanese homes. MLB Deputy Commissioner Noah Garden framed the deal as a way to honor baseball's tradition while "embracing the future" by reaching fans on modern platforms.
