WWE barely got done announcing its new streaming home in Japan before AEW came right behind them with a deal of its own. Just one day after WWE confirmed Netflix will take over its Japanese programming, AEW announced that Hulu Japan will begin streaming the company this fall.
AEW revealed the news on September 15, confirming that Hulu Japan will carry Dynamite, Collision and AEW pay-per-view events. AEW also made it clear this won’t be some stripped-down package. Japanese fans will get the company’s weekly television along with its biggest events.
“We’re excited to announce that starting this fall, Hulu Japan will be streaming All Elite Wrestling!”
“Get ready for AEW each week as Hulu Japan will offer #AEWDynamite, #AEWCollision, and #AEW PPV events. The next chapter for AEW continues on Hulu Japan!”
The timing is hard to miss. Just one day earlier, WWE announced during the September 14 episode of RAW that Netflix will become WWE’s new home in Japan beginning October 1. That move came after it was confirmed that WWE programming will leave ABEMA at the end of September, ending a three-year run on the service. WWE’s Japan deal will put RAW, SmackDown and NXT on Netflix, giving the company one streaming destination for its weekly programming in the market.
Then AEW showed up the next day with Hulu Japan. The AEW deal also gives the company a much bigger streaming footprint in a country with one of the deepest wrestling fanbases in the world. Dynamite and Collision will both be available, while AEW pay-per-views will also be part of the package.
WWE has already been pushing hard into international streaming markets through Netflix, with one executive recently saying the company has hit “every metric” since RAW moved to the platform.
Now AEW is planting its own flag in Japan almost immediately after WWE made its move. WWE gets Netflix. AEW gets Hulu Japan. And both companies just made sure Japanese wrestling fans will have plenty to watch this fall.
What do you make of AEW announcing its Hulu Japan deal just one day after WWE revealed its Netflix move? Let us know what you think in the comments.
