Hulu in Japan lands MTV first

Hulu in Japan has agreed a deal with Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) that will see the introduction of MTV’s first subscription-based OTT linear channel in Asia.

MTV Mix will launch on the Nippon TV-owned service on June 1 and will offer access to international music and entertainment programming, as well as local music videos and MTV reality shows.

Susumu Imata, senior VP and general manager at Viacom Networks Japan, said the deal would extend MTV’s reach to a younger demographic of fans.

“This is a great example of how we are enabling our distribution partners across multiple platforms to deepen the entertainment experience they offer their subscribers,” he added.

The roll-out of MTV Mix follows MTV Hits on AbemaTV, an advertising-supported OTT multi-channel linear platform in Japan a year ago, and a more recent deal that saw A+E Networks’ Crime + Investigation channel launching on the service.

Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV acquired Hulu’s operations in the country in 2014.