Amazon has struck first-of-its-kind deals with Japan’s Nippon TV and BBC for podcasts.
The former tie-up will see Nippon’s ACMA: GAME drama series stream on Prime Video Japan starting April 7, immediately after Nippon TV’s Sunday primetime air slot, with global streaming of the series to follow on Prime Video two weeks later. Hulu Japan will also stream the series immediately after Nippon TV’s broadcast as part of the unusual deal.
Based on the popular manga of the same name written by Meeb (Brave Bell) and illustrated by Koji Megumi (Bloody Monday), ACMA: GAME takes place in a devil’s world where the challenge is to conquer the world by collecting 99 devil’s keys. Players are forced to participate, and if they lose, they cannot refuse any orders. The protagonist challenges the game risking his life, along with the people who are being manipulated by the devil’s key.
The deal is Nippon’s first with a global streamer and was brokered by Keisuke Miyata, Head of Sales, Global Business, Nippon TV.
“Japan is known for exhilarating manga, but this one is exceptional,” said Nippon producer Naoto Fujimura.
“Audiences crave psychological death game battles like Kaiji, Death Note or Squid Game, and this has become a production of an incredible scale that Nippon TV will deliver to the world with confidence.”
The producer added that lead Shotaro Mamiya has “unfathomable talent that is perfect to portray this epoch-making series that will surely thrill the global audience.”
BBC podcast deal
Meanwhile, Amazon has struck a deal with the BBC that will for the first time see the corporation’s podcasts made available for streaming outside the UK.
Beginning today, subscribers to Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited services can exclusively access more than 50 of the BBC’s podcasts ad-free, including Americast, BBC Global News Podcast, Dua Lipa: At Your Service, The Global Story, Infinite Monkey Cage, Planet Premier League and World of Secrets.
The deal will also allow for ad-supported listening for the BBC’s complete catalogue from across BBC Studios, BBC Public Service and the BBC World Service for Amazon Music users on the streaming services’ ad-supported free tier.
“Audio storytelling has long been our strength as a global content producer, and with this partnership, we are thrilled to bring our BBC podcasts to even wider audiences,” said Louise la Grange, SVP Audio, Digital News & Streaming, BBC Studios.
The BBC has been seeking more commercial income outside the UK and has therefore been striking deals such as the podcast partnership.
Amazon, meanwhile, has also been innovating with its deal-making, and we revealed another first-of-its-kind deal with Walking Dead maker Skybound last week for Prime Video thriller VAKA.