Yahoo Japan, Google expanding video offerings

TOKYO, JAPAN: Yahoo Japan Corp and U.S. firm Google Inc are broadening the scope of their video delivery services in Japan, the Nikkei business daily reported.

From early September, Yahoo Japan's unit GyaO Corp will add dramas from public broadcaster NHK and cartoons and other programs from TV Tokyo Corp to its pay-for-view streaming service, charging several hundred yen per show, the paper said.

The agreement with NHK and TV Tokyo means that GyaO will offer programming from all major television broadcasters, added the business daily.

In November, GyaO will begin a service for Apple Inc's iPhone and iPad. Initially, the company plans to broadcast it free of cost to viewers, with revenue coming in from advertising, and later plans to offer pay-for-view content, said the paper. Meanwhile, Google and Major League Baseball Advanced Media LP have partnered in Japan to create a special YouTube channel, showing games in their entirety and highlights of Japanese MLB players. Games free for viewing will appear at least 36 hours after they end, added the paper.