Sports fans around the country are cheering Samurai Japan as it defends its World Baseball Classic (WBC) title, but they have been forced to make big adjustments this time around.
U.S. streaming giant Netflix has exclusive rights for the international tournament, meaning viewers in Japan cannot watch the games on regular TV or even at sports bars.
Commercial use of the streamed games is restricted, and people hoping to see the action from the comfort of their homes need to buy a Netflix subscription.
However, some public viewing events are being held.
Just after 7 p.m. on March 6, about 100 fans wearing Samurai Japan uniforms gathered at the “Shibuya Sakura Stage” commercial facility in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, their eyes fixed on a large monitor for Japan’s opener against Chinese Taipei.
“Since there is no TV broadcast this time, I’m grateful for the public viewing,” Kanta Kobayashi, a 52-year-old investor from Shibuya Ward, said. “You can really feel the excitement watching it on a big screen.”
Major beverage manufacturer Itoen Ltd., which features superstar Shohei Ohtani in its commercials, organized the public viewing.
After receiving permission from Netflix, Itoen is holding public viewings at nine commercial facilities across the country during the WBC.
In past WBC tournaments, Japanese “izakaya” pubs, bars and even saunas showed the games broadcast on TV.
According to the terms of use of Netflix, WBC viewing is intended for “personal, non-commercial use.”
It states that content cannot be shared with individuals beyond one’s household unless otherwise permitted by the subscription plan.
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Satoru Asakawa, the 53-year-old owner of a baseball-themed izakaya called “B-Crazy” in Nara, subscribed to Netflix personally for the baseball tournament. He was prepared to watch the games alongside his customers at the izakaya.
However, on March 1, he found an un-postmarked envelope in his shop’s mailbox. The sender was identified only as the “WBC Police.”
The envelope contained a two-page letter demanding he not broadcast the games, saying if he showed the WBC, someone would film his bar and spread the videos online.
Former professional baseball players sometimes visit his bar to hold talk events.
Asakawa said he worried that if such videos spread on social media, they could cause trouble for those former players. So, he gave up on the idea of showing the games in the pub.
During the last WBC tournament three years ago, Asakawa recalled how customers who rarely watched baseball came to B-Crazy, and regulars enjoyed explaining the game to them.
“It’s great when people who don’t usually interact can connect and enjoy something together through the games,” he said. “It’s a shame, because this could have been a chance for people uninterested in baseball to grow to love it.”
He added, “Next time, I really hope it won’t be an exclusive stream and will be available on TV.”
(This article was written by Taichi Higa and Chika Yamamoto.)
Original Source: This article was originally published on Asahi Sports. Click the link to view the full article.