Netflix to Leverage Shohei Ohtani’s International Hype With Massive WBC Partnership
Jan 30, 2026 | 2:52 PM EST
Netflix to Leverage Shohei Ohtani’s International Hype With Massive WBC Partnership
Jan 30, 2026 | 2:52 PM EST
Imago
Image: IMAGO
Imago
Image: IMAGO
Shohei Ohtani is fresh off winning his second consecutive World Series, and his global superstardom is now reaching a new frontier. He won the National League Most Valuable Player award this January. Even his dog, Decoy, was presented with the first Most Valuable Dog award. With such popularity, a Japanese broadcaster has now chosen a unique way to show his games to the world during the WBC.
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Reportedly, Netflix and Nippon TV have partnered to stream WBC games to fans in Japan this year, according to Oricon News.
“Nippon TV has been commissioned to broadcast 15 WBC games in March (including the four games against Japan in the Tokyo pool in the first round), which will be exclusively streamed live by Netflix. As a promotional partner, the company will help promote the tournament through special WBC programs and informational programs on terrestrial television.”
Netflix’s interest in streaming the WBC games comes from Shohei Ohtani’s popularity.
Shotime has established himself as one of the best two-way players in MLB. Last season, his dominant performance in NLCS Game 4 made him the 1st player in MLB postseason history to record 3 home runs as a batter and 10 strikeouts as a pitcher. In 158 games last season, he recorded 55 home runs and 102 RBIs. Along with that, he also struck out 187 opponents. Notably, he is in the midst of a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Plus, Ohtani’s games have driven impressive television ratings in Japan.
日テレ、WBCでNetflixと連携https://t.co/nCBiXAfOvg
日本テレビは、Netflixが独占ライブ配信する3月のWBCの15試合の中継制作を受託（1次ラウンド・東京プールの日本戦4試合を含む）。プロモーションパートナーとして連携し、地上波でのWBC特番や情報番組など、大会を盛り上げる。 pic.twitter.com/KYHOoELtfE
— オリコンニュース (@oricon) January 29, 2026
12.9 million Japanese viewers (10% of the Japanese population) tuned in to watch his NLDS Game 5 against the San Diego Padres in 2024, as compared to 7.5 million American viewers. Last season, tickets for the MLB Tokyo Series Game in Japan reportedly cost around $10,000 just for the presence of Ohtani.
Off the field, Ohtani has reportedly earned $102 million in 2025 from his partnerships with brands like New Balance, Topps, Nike, Fanatics, Seiko, and more. His Topps Chrome Gold Logoman Autograph Card was auctioned for $3 million and annihilated the previous records for cards related to him.
No wonder a major streaming company like Netflix wants to join the Ohtani bandwagon for the WBC games. After all, Lionel Messi is a significant proof of how a superstar’s presence can affect a streaming giant.
Messi’s debut for Inter Miami brought the biggest single-day subscription increase for Apple TV’s MLS streaming service on July 21, 2023. When the Argentinian appeared on the field in his pink jersey, Apple added 110,075 new US subscribers for MLS Season Pass, according to Antenna. This figure was up from the roughly 5,400 sign-ups on average per day for the week prior.
Allowing Netflix with the exclusive streaming rights, Nippon TV noted, “We believe that we can widely communicate the national interest of WBC 2026 and contribute to further fostering baseball culture.”
Shohei Ohtani is all set to make his second appearance for Samurai Japan at the World Baseball Classic. In 2023, he spectacularly stuck out his former teammate, Mike Trout, to close out the game and help Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic 3-2. This time, he may get back to resuming his role as one of the team’s starting pitchers alongside his Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto and MLB peer Yusei Kikuchi.
While Ohtani is the undisputed main draw, Netflix’s investment is further justified by a roster stacked with other MLB talent.
Team Japan announces Yuki Matsui as its member alongside Ohtani
Yuki Matsui has become the latest MLB member to join Samurai Japan for this year’s World Baseball Classic. The Padres star will make his 3rd appearance for Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic.
Matsui will fit in with Team Japan as an impressive left-handed pitcher, with his 92 mph – 94 mph four-seam fastballs. Last season, he struck out Freddie Freeman swinging during the top of the 7th inning in June.
In 61 games last season, he recorded 61 strikeouts alongside an ERA of 3.98.
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Yuki Matsui is joining his MLB peers Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers), Yusei Kikuchi (Los Angeles Angels), Tomoyuki Sugano (formerly Baltimore Orioles), Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs), Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays), and Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox) on Team Japan.
Last time, he threw one inning and recorded 1 strikeout for Team Japan.
With members like Shohei Ohtani and Hideki Matsui on Team Japan, it will be worthwhile to see how far Netflix’s subscriber base goes!