Netflix will reportedly be reaching Japan as soon as next fall. This information comes after news that the online streaming service announced plans to hit 200 countries within the next two years. Netflix is currently in 50 countries, so the jump increase is a pretty big one.
Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix spoke out about the decision to take things to Japan.
He called Japan “a critical component of our plan to connect people around the world to stories they love.”
Netflix will open a regional office in Tokyo to make sure that things run smoothly. Hulu actually made it to Japan first in 2011, but they ended up selling their service to a broadcaster last year. Netflix is hoping to avoid that fate.
In other Netflix news, the giant is reportedly introducing a live-action serious based on the Nintendo game Legend of Zelda. Netflix reportedly wants the series to be similar to Game of Thrones, but a little more family friendly to appeal to a different audience. Netflix and Nintendo are both declining to comment on the possibility, but they are supposedly working very closely together to make this happen.
There is no writer assigned to the project yet, which makes many a bit skeptical about the show since Nintendo is generally very private and contained about any news about their franchise.
Netflix has gotten considerable attention for their bold decision to start rolling out original content and having home runs in the process. House of Cards and Orange is the New Black are two original series that put them ahead of the game as far as creating original television shows. Both of the shows continue to bring in more subscribers regularly.
Netflix actually has plans to release a whole new variety of original programming, some of which can be expected in 2015.
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