It’s about to become a lot easier for WWE fans in Japan to watch weekly programming and the company’s premium live events (PLEs).
WWE announced today that it agreed to a new media rights partnership with the free ad-supported streaming service ABEMA to broadcast Raw, SmackDown and PLEs in Japan beginning next month. Raw and SmackDown will be available free-to-air in Japan with Japanese commentary for the first time ever, less than 24 hours after episodes are broadcast in the U.S.
PLEs will air live on ABEMA going forward, while Japanese fans will be able to view every edition of WrestleMania on-demand beginning on Oct. 1.
WWE has been without a Japanese media partner for more than a year following the end of its deal with J Sports. Notably, J Sports offered the programming via a paid subscription, and generally had Japanese subtitles but not Japanese commentary.
ABEMA first launched in 2016, but has made a significant move into streaming live sports over the past two years, starting with MLB games in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. It also has the rights to broadcast some Premier League and Bundesliga soccer matches.