U-NEXT PARTNERS WITH VIACOMCBS FOR NEW SHOWTIME SERIES SELECTION

ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group announced a licensing partnership with OTT outlet U-NEXT. The deal secures the exclusive launch of a selection of premium drama series from Showtime. “We are delighted to partner with Japan’s leading OTT service, U-NEXT to introduce an exclusive selection of critically acclaimed and highly anticipated Showtime series to Japan,” Dan Cohen, President, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group, said. “With its emphasis on providing premium entertainment to the Japanese market, U-NEXT is an ideal platform for Showtime series, and we look forward to bringing these series to Japan.”

The subsidiary of ViacomCBS with over 27 million subscribers is internationally renowned for its premium documentaries. U-NEXT has acquired six premium drama series from Showtime, which include “Your Honor”, “City on a Hill”, “Halo”, “Ripley”,  based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling quintet of Tom Ripley novels, working title “The First Lady,” “Yellowjackets.” “We are thrilled to partner with ViacomCBS in introducing SHOWTIME content to our service. The evolving landscape in the streaming sector has created a huge demand for high-quality premium content, and we are delighted to partner with ViacomCBS to feature some of the best premium series from the internationally renowned SHOWTIME brand on U-NEXT,” Tenshin Tsutsumi, CEO of U-NEXT, said.

In addition to the premiere titles licensed from ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group, from Friday, 19th February, viewers will have access to a selection of popular original series including David Lynch’s masterpiece “Twin Peaks” as well as the 2017 Showtime original “Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series.” “Your Honor” and “City On A Hill” are set to roll out during the Spring. “Twin Peaks” and “Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series,” made in 2017, are set to debut alongside “Escape at Dannemora,” “Californication,”  “The Loudest Voice” and  “ Ray Donovan” on 19th February.

The premiere, Golden Globe-nominated “Your Honor" is a  legal thriller shattered viewership records for limited series with its premiere broadcast in the U.S.. “City on a Hill” is an acclaimed drama series set in the early 1990s centers on the unlikely alliance between an Assistant District Attorney and a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran. Working title  “The First Lady” features dramatizations by Michelle Obama, and“Halo” based on the video game franchise with over 81 million copies sold worldwide, are among the highly anticipated series that will premiere exclusively on U-NEXT.