Netflix announced an exclusive partnership with Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank on Monday, just days before the streaming service begins operation in the country.
SoftBank Corp, one of Japan”s leading mobile providers,will offer a fully integrated Netflix experience, including billing, when Netflix Japan launches on Sept. 2.
The streaming service also announced monthly pricing for the Japanese market as follows:
– Basic Plan: Single-stream standard definition for 650 JPY (pre-tax)
– Standard Plan: Two-stream high definition for 950 JPY (pre-tax)
– Premium Plan: Four-stream 4K ultra-high definition “family” plan for 1,450 JPY (pre-tax)
Under the agreement, SoftBank customers will be able to sign up for Netflix at SoftBank Shops, major electronics retailers, via the SoftBank website and via SoftBank call centers without filling out payment information, with Netflix’s monthly fee added to their bill. In addition, SoftBank will begin pre-installing the Netflix app on its smartphones for sale after October.
Netflix has been expanding its global reach by leaps and bounds in recent years. The streaming service launched in Australia and New Zealand in March, and pushed into six new European markets in late 2014. There are currently 65 million Netflix subscribers across 50 countries.