Amazon Prime in Japan has entered a new licensing deal with HBO that will give its subscribers access to current and previous HBO series.
According to Variety, the deal is not on behalf of HBO Asia. Instead, HBO in the U.S. has signed the agreement, which will put its shows on Amazon Prime in Japan starting April 1, 2018.
Word of the deal in Japan comes less than one year after HBO signaled it would not be renewing its deal for library content with Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.
“As we see the progress and sub revenue acceleration in our digital business, I don't think you are going to see us extend or expand our relationship with our library programming on Amazon, and we have no plans to do that beyond the end of the date, which is the end of next year," said HBO Chairman and CEO Richard Plepler, speaking to investment analysts in May 2017.
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Amazon Prime Video has been available in Japan since 2015. Along with the U.K., Germany and Austria, it was one of the earlier countries outside of the U.S. to get the service.
In late 2016, Amazon confirmed that it was expanding the availability of Amazon Prime Video to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
“We are excited to announce that starting today, fans around the world have access to Prime Video,” said Tim Leslie, vice president of International for Prime Video, in a statement. “The Grand Tour and other critically acclaimed Amazon Original Series like Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, and The Man in the High Castle, along with hundreds of popular Hollywood movies and TV shows, are now available at the introductory price of only $2.99 a month. And what’s really exciting is that we are just getting started.”