The news: Netflix has secured exclusive rights in Japan for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), marking its first live sports event in the market. The deal covers all 47 games, streamed live and on-demand, and expands on Netflix’s existing collaborations with Major League Baseball on documentaries.

Why it matters:

Japan is prime territory. The 2023 WBC finale, when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout, drew record viewership in Japan, averaging over 30 million viewers for the series, according to Sports Business Journal. That dwarfs US viewership, where the final averaged just over 5 million.

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