WOWOW and NTT DOCOMO held a briefing in Tokyo for the new Lemino, outlining plans to reach more than 5 million members as soon as possible for the video streaming service, which will launch on 1 October as a joint venture. The service will encourage subscriptions with sports and music content, while seeking to retain members with dramas.
The briefing officially announced that the new Lemino was established as a joint venture between WOWOW and NTT DOCOMO and would launch on 1 October. WOWOW’s Suzuki Satoshi (鈴木 聡) is scheduled to become president, with DOCOMO’s Tanaka Tomonori (田中 智則) as executive vice president, and the company outlined plans to become one of Japan’s largest entertainment platforms.
WOWOW will hold 51% of the new company and DOCOMO 49%. The service name will remain Lemino, and the monthly fee of ¥1,540 on the web and at DOCOMO shops will remain unchanged. Suzuki explained that “WOWOW can be watched on Lemino,” but clarified that not all content would be covered, with pay-per-view and other separately charged content excluded.
The company presented a strategy of attracting subscribers primarily through live sports and music content, while using dramas to encourage retention. From October onward, it plans to add live streaming of every UEFA Champions League match, as well as sports including tennis and rugby and more than 100 WOWOW original dramas.
In its explanation of the streaming infrastructure, the company clarified the differences from WOWOW On Demand while indicating that the two services would continue to operate in parallel for the time being. Although no specific numerical plan for the future has been disclosed, the company emphasized its intention to achieve the target of more than 5 million members as quickly as possible.