Hulu Japan picks up Globo duo

MipDrama award winner Jailers

NATPE: Hulu Japan has acquired two original foreign-language drama titles after striking a licensing agreement with Brazilian media giant Globo.

The deal will see the Nippon TV-owned SVoD service take Brazilian dramas Hidden Truths and Jailers for streaming in Japan.

Hidden Truths won the best telenovela Emmy in 2016 and has been sold into more than 70 territories internationally, while Jailers was a MipDrama winner in 2017. Both titles will premiere on Hulu Japan in April.

The agreement is part of Globo’s plans to boost its international presence and focus on producing SVoD-friendly content. It comes off the back of the US launch of its own SVoD service, Globoplay, this month.

Raphael Corrêa Netto, director of international business at Globo, said: “The deal is part of how Globo is evolving both in Brazil and in the international market. It’s part of the larger perspective of expanding our new content to different markets and different players.”

As part of its expansion efforts, Globo has branched into new genres, with a focus on high-end drama. Last year, the company unveiled a new studio complex that it sees as key to achieving its goals of increased content output and international reach.

“As a studio, Globo has been expanding its creative and production capability, leading to different content and different distribution opportunities. When we are producing and distributing high-end drama series, it really leads us to new markets and new windows,” Corrêa Netto said.

Hulu Japan’s chief content officer, Kazufumi Nagasawa, said the streamer was keen to add more foreign content to its slate. “The market for foreign-language series, especially non-English series, is still niche. That said, we believe marketing unknown foreign series is something we can do much better than any other parties in Japan, and we are eager to do it.”