YouTube leads the video streaming landscape in Japan, accounting for over 65% of total viewing hours
Recent studies indicate that YouTube leads the video streaming market in Japan, with long-form content, news, and baseball drawing the biggest audiences.
YouTube maintains a stronghold in Japan’s digital video streaming market, representing over 65% of all video-on-demand viewing hours, as indicated by recent research from AMPD Analytics.
The findings, derived from behavioral data gathered by AMPD Analytics, indicated that viewers in Japan consumed 2.8 billion hours of content on YouTube in May, resulting in an average of 38.5 hours per viewer. The research additionally revealed that news and baseball ranked among the top content categories viewed on the platform.
According to AMPD’s YouTube dashboard intelligence tool, long-form videos continued to be the favored format, comprising approximately 70% of total viewing hours, while YouTube Shorts and live streams represented the remaining portion.
Commenting on the findings, Sam Yousif, managing director of AMPD Analytics, stated, “Japan’s YouTube viewing resembles television more than many might think—long-form content is prevalent, audiences span all age groups, and engagement reaches its highest point at nine in the evening.” YouTube occupies a central position in Japan’s screen economy, rather than merely being a peripheral player.
The report also emphasized the channels drawing the most significant audiences across various content categories. In the news, ANNnewsCH, TBS News Dig, and 日テレNEWS have emerged as prominent channels, while the entertainment brand Oricon has also achieved notable viewership.
In the realm of sports, PacificLeagueTV, which broadcasts Pacific League baseball, along with Pivot and SPOTVNOW, has become prominent choices for viewers seeking both free and subscription-based options. DAZN Japan and the horse racing channel JRA garnered considerable viewership in the free streaming segment.
Oricon and Netflix Japan, along with independent creators like ほんの1分 and MrFuji from Japan, dominated entertainment viewing.
The research indicated that YouTube viewing in Japan peaks between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on both weekdays and weekends, a trend that AMPD Analytics noted closely mirrors traditional television viewing habits.
