On October 12, it was learned that the number of members of “DOWNTOWN+ (DT+),” a paid video distribution service operated by Yoshimoto Kogyo, exceeded 500,000 in the 20 days since it began accepting subscription applications on October 24. A number of sources revealed the number. It is believed that the increase in the number of members is due to the fact that Matsumoto Hitoshi (62), who had been on hiatus, chose DT+ as the stage for his comeback after an absence of about 1 year and 10 months, attracting attention. According to the people involved, the original works “If you core it, you lose! The original works “Fruitless Story Tournament” and “Great Comedy GRAND PRIX,” “Comedy Imperial University OIU” for viewer participation, and “Kimochi Bad Dance Championship” have received positive reactions. Past productions such as “Downtown no Gaki no Tsukasa ya Aahende!” and other past productions are also reportedly enjoying strong viewership. The age range of subscribers is mainly in their 40s and 50s, with a notable number in their 20s. Since Matsumoto and Masanori Hamada (62) were active mainly on TV, some thought that charging for video distribution (1,100 yen/month) would be a certain hurdle, but it turned out to be widely established, including among younger viewers. Cooperation with other distribution services is also progressing smoothly. In addition to “U-NEXT” and “ABEMA,” which offer a wide range of genres including movies and dramas, although some programs such as past performances and live broadcasts cannot be viewed, distribution on “Amazon Prime Video” began on August 11. In August, the company began operating a “contents fund” to raise funds from companies and investors for the production of works, etc., and return the profits to the fund. The company also plans to build a platform, and the amount of investment is expected to grow steadily. A representative of Yoshimoto Kogyo commented in an interview, “We refrain from answering about the number of subscribers. ◆Paid Video Distribution Market According to a survey by private research firm ICT Research Institute, there were 38.9 million users of paid video distribution services in Japan this year. The subscription-based (SVOD) usage rate is estimated to reach 31.8%. The market size was approximately 453 billion yen in 2010 and is expected to continue to grow. The global market is estimated to be worth approximately 100 trillion yen, and some estimate that it will quadruple in eight years. Amazon and Netflix are the two giants of the market, both of which have more than 10 million subscribers in Japan.
The Hochi Shimbun