U-Next surpasses 3m subscribers ahead of Paravi integration

The number of paying customers to Japanese streaming service U-Next has passed the three million subscriber milestone.

U-Next had three million paying subs as May 31, the company said.

The U-Next service launched as GyaO Next in June 2007 before changing its name two years later. It reached two million subscribers at the end of August 2020.

To celebrate the milestone, U-Next is awarding three million loyalty points, with 10,000 points each to be awarded to 300 customers by lottery.

U-Next recently struck a deal with sports service provider Live Sports Media to include content from the latter’s Spotv Now service as part of the U-Next offering. The Spotv Now pack enables users to view content including the English Premier League, Serie A and Major League Baseball.

In March, U-Next also secured a deal to include UFC events as part of its offering.

The passing of three million paying customers does not include Paravi, the smaller streamer U-Next acquired earlier this year. Paravi is expected to be integrated within U-Next in July, which will boost the number of paying subscribers to over 3.7 million and will create the largest video distribution platform in Japan, ithe annual sales of more than , with annual sales of more than ¥80 billion.

U-Next said its strength in movies, anime, western and Korean drama and live content would be complemented by Paravi’s line-up of drama and variety shows with content supplied by broadcasters TBS, TV Tokyo and affiliated stations.