Technology Nov. 12, 2008 - 11:51AM JST ( 0 )

TOKYO —

The New Media Group, KK (TNMG), parent of the World On-Demand IPTV platform, on Wednesday announced the signing of a landmark deal that aligns its increasing portfolio of global content offering with Nico Nico Douga’s broad reach into the domestic Japanese market.

Nico Nico Douga, Japan’s leading online video community site, currently holds 9.3 million Japanese subscribers, drives 2.3 million unique users a day, and has already passed YouTube in Japan to become one of the most visited sites in the Japanese web space. World On-Demand is the leading IPTV provider of alternative global content in Japan, carrying over 130 television channels from around the world including E! Entertainment, the BBC, Star TV, GMA, and Zee TV, and is geared primarily to serve the TV needs of the foreign population in Japan.

“It seems an unlikely match, but both sides see tremendous potential here,” said Randy McGraw, president of TNMG. “Both of us are convinced that the Japanese domestic market is starving for more high brand and high production value content from around the world, much of it never having had any distribution here. This is just a first step to get it all in play.”

The new service that the two partners will launch in December will allow Japanese consumers with a Nico Nico Douga account to be exposed to and enjoy selections of branded content geared to their hobbies and interests, as well as the invitation to subscribe to the full array of content through the World On-Demand service.