Company:Paravi
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Type of site | OTT streaming platform |
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Available in | Japanese |
Dissolved | July 1, 2023 |
Area served | Japan |
Owner |
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Website | www |
Registration | Required |
Users | 0.85 million |
Launched | April 1, 2018 |
Current status | Operating |
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Industry | Entertainment industry |
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Fate | Merged with U-Next |
Successor | U-Next |
Founded | July 3, 2017 |
Defunct | March 31, 2023 |
Headquarters | 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo , Japan |
Key people |
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Brands | Paravi |
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Total assets | ![]() |
Owner |
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Website | www |
Paravi (パラビ Parabi) is a Japanese over-the-top streaming service that was launched on April 1, 2018 in jointly with Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Nikkei, TV Tokyo Holdings, Wowow, Dentsu, and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners with their parent company Premium Platform Japan being established in July 2017 and had since grown to become one of the largest streaming platforms in Japan, with 0.85 million registered subscribers.[1][2] The service had a wide variety of catalog of content including movies, TV shows, anime and live sports from its minority owners TBS Television and TV Tokyo.[3]
In March 2023, Paravi merged with U-Next, which had 2 million subscribers and with its services merging on July 1, 2023 as part of thr merger between the two services.[4][5][6]
History
On December 25, 2017, Premium Platform Japan announced that the service, which would start in April of the following year, would be called Paravi, a coined word combining "Para," meaning "close" in Greek, and "Vision." On March 7, 2018, Premium Platform Japan announced that Paravi would be launched on April 1, and began accepting advance registrations on March 20.[7]
On April 1, Paravi was launched, offering approximately 8,000 contents, including programs from TBS Television and TV Tokyo, at a monthly fee of 999 yen.[8] President Yasuhiro Takatsuna said, "Our strengths are the largest domestic drama archive and live streaming. We will add 50 new titles every day and be able to offer more than 10,000 contents soon."[9]
On September 6, 2018, Wowow announced through Paravi that they would begin 24-hour internet streaming of their BS channels, Wowow Prime, Wowow Live," and Wowow Cinema, starting December 1. To watch the programs, it was necessary to be an existing member of Wowow, and it was not possible to contract only for internet streaming.[10]
In 2018, Paravi produced its first original drama series called Tourist which consisted of three episodes. The first episode was aired on TBS on September 28. The second episode was broadcast on TV Tokyo on October 1, and the third episode was shown on Wowow (for free) on October 7.[11] After each episode was aired, an exclusive version, including unreleased scenes, was streamed on Paravi.[12][13]
On February 18, 2019, a Paravi Wowow Plan was offered through Paravi, which allowed internet only subscription to Wowow and simultaneous viewing of Wowow's three channels. The monthly fee was the same as Wowow's regular membership fee, which was 2,300 yen, and it was not necessary to subscribe to Paravi to use the plan. However, on June 31, 2021, Wowow launched its own video-on-demand service, Wowow On Demand, and the Paravi Wowow Plan was discontinued.[14]
On March 12, 2020, Paravi started offering free streaming of dramas and anime as a response to school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The free streaming continued until March 31 of the same year.[15]
Acquisition by U-Next
On February 17, 2023, U-Next announced it was going to acquire Premium Platform Japan, which operated Paravi with 0.85 million subscribers and was owned by TBS Television and TV Tokyo. The merger took effect on March 31, 2023, with U-Next being the surviving company. On the same day, U-Next also announced business partnerships with TBS Holdings, TBS Television, and TV Tokyo to establish collaborative content procurement and mass-market promotion. Additionally, U-Next entered into business partnerships with Dentsu. and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners to utilize the video distribution platform for advertising and other related businesses.[16] On March 31, 2023, the merger was completed, and the following day, TBS Holdings and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners shares' were acquired by U-Next.[16]
Paravi being transferred to operate within the U-Next platform by July of the same year, allowing the service to continue with its content being viewed on U-Next's monthly plan thereafter.[17][18][19][16] This merger being expected to create the largest domestic streaming service in Japan, surpassing Hulu Japan, with over 800 billion yen in revenue, 3.7 million paid subscribers, and 350,000 titles. It was the second-largest video streaming service in the Japanese market, following Netflix.[20][21]
Content
Programming
The distributors who license content to Paravi include Wowow, TBS Television, and TV Tokyo, among others.
In addition, Paravi has its own programming that was feed from its parent companies that was available through the service.
Sports
Paravi streamed all Asian Games events, World Team Table Tennis Championships events, S☆1 BASEBALL, Japan Series baseball, FIVB Volleyball Men's, and Women's World Championship events.
From 2020 until 2023, Paravi has started live streaming all games of the Nippon Professional Baseball matches hosted by Yokohama DeNA BayStars until its merger with U-Next.[22]
References
- ↑ "「毎日ちがう“なにか”がある」。TBS、Wowow、日経らの映像配信「Paravi」". 2018-03-20. https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/series/rt/1112447.html.
- ↑ "TBS・テレ東・Wowow・日経による映像配信「Paravi」2018年4月開始。925円". 2017-12-25. https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1098765.html.
- ↑ "「毎日ちがう“なにか”がある」。TBS、WOWOW、日経らの映像配信「Paravi」". AV Watch. 2018-03-20. https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/series/rt/1112447.html. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
- ↑ "U-NEXT・パラビ合併、動画配信で国内勢首位 外資対抗". 2023-02-17. https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQODL1664F0W3A210C2000000/.
- ↑ TBSテレビ (2023-02-17). "ParaviとU-NEXTが経営統合 国内勢最大のプラットフォームが誕生へ". https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/334758?display=1.
- ↑ "【6/15】U-NEXTへのサービス統合について". 2023-06-15. https://help.paravi.jp/info_and_news/show/395?site_domain=default.
- ↑ "動画配信「パラビ」開始 18年4月から月額925円 - 日本経済新聞". https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO25022510U7A221C1916M00/.
- ↑ "動画配信「パラビ」、4月1日スタート". The Nikkei. Mar 7, 2018.
- ↑ "最大級のドラマ数強み、「パラビ」社長". The Nikkei. Mar 27, 2018.
- ↑ "WOWOW、ネットで常時同時配信 BS3チャンネルをパラビで". The Nikkei. September 6, 2018.
- ↑ "パラビがドラマ制作、3局またぎ放映(文化往来)". The Nikkei. Sep 21, 2018.
- ↑ "3局またぎ放送 パラビ制作 初オリジナルドラマ". Yomiuri Shimbun: pp. 4. September 21, 2018.
- ↑ "WOWOW・ TBS・テレビ東京 3局横断 Paraviオリジナルドラマ「tourist ツーリスト」" (in ja-jp). https://www.wowow.co.jp/drama/tourist/.
- ↑ 株式会社インプレス (2020-12-24). "Paravi WOWOWプランが新規受付終了。「WOWOWオンデマンド」へ移行" (in ja). https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1297315.html.
- ↑ "パラビ 人気ドラマやアニメを無料配信 31日まで". The Nikkei. March 12, 2020.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "U-NEXT とParaviが統合、有料動画配信、国内勢で最大に。売上高800億円超、視聴者370万人以上、多彩な動画本数は35万本以上。7月目途にU-NEXTにParaviサービスを移管 | U-NEXT コーポレート" (in ja). https://www.unext.co.jp/ja/press-room/unext-paravi-2023-02-17.
- ↑ "U-NEXTとParavi統合…同じ料金で両方見られる? 7月を目途にサービス移管 | 社会,経済 | 福井のニュース" (in ja). https://www.fukuishimbun.co.jp/articles/-/1728134.
- ↑ "Japan's top streaming services to merge to take on Netflix, Amazon" (in en-GB). https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Japan-s-top-streaming-services-to-merge-to-take-on-Netflix-Amazon.
- ↑ Frater, Patrick (2023-02-22). "Japanese Streaming Firms U-Next and Paravi to Merge" (in en-US). https://variety.com/2023/biz/asia/japan-streaming-firms-1235531315/.
- ↑ "株式会社U-NEXTとの経営統合について | Paraviヘルプセンター". https://help.paravi.jp/info_and_news/show/372?site_domain=default.
- ↑ Press, Jiji (2023-02-18). "Japan's U-Next to Absorb Streaming Service Peer Paravi" (in en). https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/business/companies/20230218-92155/.
- ↑ "DeNA主催のオープン戦・公式戦、パラビ、今年も全試合ライブ配信(日経からのお知らせ)". The Nikkei. March 1, 2021.
External links
- Corporate site - (in Japanese)