New York – Netflix has acquired Japanese media rights to carry next year’s World Baseball Classic, marking the first time it will stream a live event in Japan.
Netflix will stream all 47 games of the tournament. Team Japan is the defending champion after winning it in 2023 when Shohei Ohtani singled off U.S. slugger Mike Trout to reach the final in Japan’s 3-2 victory in Miami.
A consortium of media companies, including Amazon Prime Video, had the Japanese media rights to the previous World Baseball Classic.
Next year’s WBC will be the sixth edition of the tournament and will feature 20 teams competing in four first-round pools in Tokyo; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Houston and Miami. It will begin on March 5 with the final scheduled for March 17 in Miami.
Netflix is also expected to claim it will carry the Home Run Derby in the US as Major League Baseball considers a three-year deal that will begin next year.
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