MLB controversially handed local broadcast rights to the 2026 World Baseball Classic to Japan in a move that has slowed growth of the tournament in the baseball-crazed nation
Japanese fans need Netflix to watch Shohei Ohtani at the 2026 World Baseball Classic(Getty Images)
The 2023 World Baseball Classic was free to air on national television in Japan as the team captured its third title, thanks in part to the heroic contributions of pitcher-hitter Shohei Ohtani.
In 2025, MLB agreed to hand Netflix exclusive broadcasting rights of the 2026 World Baseball Classic in a deal worth around ¥15 billion (around $95 million). The streaming giants have around 10 million subscribers in Japan, a nation with close to 130 million.
The Tokyo Dome has been sold out and bouncing for every Japan home game of the 2026 tournament, including as Ohtani hit a grand slam in the opening game (with the likes of Timothee Chalomet and Bad Bunny in attendance).
Viewership numbers have yet to be released for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with the knockout round set to start on Friday. IT’s widely projected that numbers will be down from 2023, when a reported 100 million people in Japan consumed at least a part of the tournament on television.
Amazon Prime Video had the rights to the 2023 tournament, but its license wasn’t exclusive. Most Japanese games aired on local TV.
Japanese fans have packed the Tokyo Dome for the 2026 WBC(Getty Images)
Speaking with The Athletic, Nobby Ito, the executive advisor for the Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner, expressed pessimism about 2026 numbers.
“Without terrestrial coverage, the overall national excitement around the WBC may become more limited, which may reduce the tournament’s mass appeal,” he said
Japanese manager Hirokazu Ibata has backed MLB’s decision to show 2026 WBC games on Netflix(Getty Images)
Speaking last summer, Kaata Sakamoto, Netflix’s Vice President of Content in Japan, sang a different tune. “With Netflix already in millions of Japanese homes, we are excited to deliver a new kind of viewing experience that brings fans even closer to the action, the players, and the heart of the tournament, wherever they are,” he said.
Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata echoed his sentiment. Having Netflix covering all the games, I think we get better information than previous tournaments, which is good for us,” he said, via a translation from Japanese.
Netflix has over 325 million subscribers worldwide, many of which coming from the United States. However, games for the 2026 World Baseball Classic are not on Netflix.
Instead, they’re available on free-to-air FOX (Team USA contests and other key games), free-to-stream Tubi, and cable channels FS1 and FS2.
The Japanese national team is set to face Venezuela in the quarterfinals for the 2026 tournament on Friday. The winner will face the winner of Italy vs Puerto Rico.