, formerly known as is a Japanese streaming video service owned and operated by AbemaTV, Inc., a joint venture between the internet company CyberAgent and the broadcaster TV Asahi. Launched in April 2016, the platform distinguishes itself from traditional video-on-demand (VOD) services by functioning primarily as a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) network. It offers multiple real-time linear channels alongside a premium on-demand subscription tier and pay-per-view (PPV) capabilities.
The platform features a diverse lineup of programming, including a 24-hour news channel, original dating reality shows, anime, and specialized channels for subcultures like Shogi and Mahjong. Abema has also become a major destination for sports broadcasting in Japan, gaining widespread mainstream recognition after securing the rights to live stream all 64 matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup for free. Its sports portfolio has expanded to include Major League Baseball, English Premier League, and major combat sports events.
History
2015: Launch CyberAgent and TV Asahi announced on March 31, 2015, that they would jointly establish a fixed-rate video distribution company called AbemaTV in April of that year. The company became subsidiaries of CyberAgent, and Shun Fujita, the President of CyberAgent, was appointed as the President of AbemaTV.
CyberAgent and TV Asahi launched the service on April 11, 2016, having soft-launched some channels on March 1 of the same year. AbemaTV channels stream in real-time, similar to traditional linear TV, but missed programs can only be watched through its paid subscription tier, which was officially launched as the on-demand Abema Video feature in April 2017. The platform's linear model was deliberately chosen to differentiate it from standard video-on-demand services; Fujita noted that "finding content is a hassle" and aimed to provide an effortless viewing experience akin to traditional television.
Though CyberAgent also owns a similarly-named social networking service called Ameba, they chose not to re-use the brand for AbemaTV due to the existence of a Canadian service called Ameba TV. According to Fujita, he wanted the name to convey that AbemaTV was an extension of Ameba, which had been around for over 10 years. However, he admitted that the name AbemaTV could be difficult to remember and pronounce, stating that he himself occasionally mispronounced it.
2016–2018: Early programming and initial investments To support original broadcasting, AbemaTV established Chateau Ameba, a dedicated production facility in Shibuya featuring six studios, operated by a joint production team from CyberAgent and TV Asahi. The platform also began acquiring outside programming, such as a May 2016 deal to stream 49 titles from TV Tokyo.
The platform grew rapidly among younger audiences, with 60% of its users falling between the ages of 18 and 34. It reached 5 million app downloads within its first three months, and surpassed 10 million downloads by November 2016, with weekly active users (WAU) approaching 3 million. To expand viewership to larger screens, a dedicated app for Amazon Fire TV was released in October 2016.
On May 7, 2017, AbemaTV's live show Win 10 Million Yen if You Beat Koki Kameda set a new record with 14.2 million views, resulting in a server outage. To capitalize on the popularity of combat sports, CyberAgent acquired DDT Pro-Wrestling in September 2017 to produce original content for the platform. Shortly after, the platform's Shogi channel drew massive attention, recording 12.42 million views for a match featuring shogi prodigy Sota Fujii. Abema's Shogi coverage also revolutionized the viewing experience by introducing real-time AI win-rate evaluations, a feature that became highly popular among viewers. AbemaTV offered the match footage for free on a special website. In November of the same year, AbemaTV announced that the 72 Hour Honne TV program featuring three former members of SMAP (Goro Inagaki, Shingo Katori, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) had garnered 74 million views. Anticipating high traffic, the company had increased server capacity fivefold prior to the broadcast, which featured over 130 guest appearances.
According to its financial statement as of September 30, 2017, AbemaTV recorded a net loss of 19.125 billion yen and a deficit of 28.38 billion yen in retained earnings. This deficit aligned with CyberAgent's strategy; Fujita had publicly committed to a 20 billion yen annual investment to grow the platform toward a goal of 10 million WAU. CyberAgent viewed the platform as a way to diversify its revenue away from its volatile mobile gaming business. Despite this, CyberAgent planned to continue investing in AbemaTV and expand into peripheral businesses.
In January 2018, AbemaTV began live broadcasting all six annual Grand Sumo tournaments. As the only alternative to the public broadcaster NHK, AbemaTV aimed to attract younger audiences by using female commentators and incorporating modern production elements like entrance music and custom graphics. The following month, the platform signed an annual sponsorship agreement with the Japan Golf Tour Organization, acquiring the naming rights to its developmental tour, which was rebranded as the AbemaTV Tour.
In October 2018, AbemaTV formed a capital and business alliance with major advertising agencies Dentsu and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners. The agencies acquired 5% and 3% stakes, respectively, to bolster AbemaTV's advertising sales and content procurement capabilities. That same month, CyberAgent acquired an 80% stake in the J2 League football club FC Machida Zelvia to secure exclusive sports content for the platform.
2019–2021: Strategic shifts and pandemic growth However, the heavy financial toll of the platform became apparent in early 2019. In January, CyberAgent issued its first downward earnings revision in 17 years due to a slowdown in its core advertising and gaming businesses, which had been subsidizing AbemaTV's deficits. This prompted Fujita to announce a comprehensive cost review while maintaining the 20 billion yen investment.
To improve profitability, the company began shifting its strategic focus from purely advertising-driven free broadcasts to increasing subscription revenue. In January 2019, CyberAgent disclosed that Abema Premium had 358,000 subscribers, a 4.5-fold increase from the previous year, and that the AbemaTV app had been downloaded 37 million times. Because the sports streaming service DAZN held the exclusive broadcasting rights for the J League, CyberAgent formed a partnership with DAZN in February 2019. This agreement allowed AbemaTV to live stream all of Machida Zelvia's home matches and broadcast highlight programs for the league. By April 2019, premium subscribers reached approximately 400,000, and the company stated its goal to balance the platform's advertising and subscription revenue ratio to 50:50. Fujita noted that while the initial goal was to create an internet-based linear TV service, most pre-recorded content had shifted to on-demand viewing, leaving news and sports as the primary linear broadcasts. He also stated that 95% of the platform's drama viewership was on-demand, prompting a shift toward a hybrid linear and on-demand model.
On February 25, 2019, AbemaTV began a trial service for viewers outside Japan, allowing access from the United States, Australia, Thailand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Brazil using the iOS/Android app.
In March 2019, Abema announced a partnership with Dwango for content distribution. Through this collaboration, from April 1, selected AbemaTV programs became available for streaming on Niconico, the video-sharing platform operated by Dwango.
In mid-2019, the platform finally surpassed its long-term target of 10 million WAU multiple times. By October 2019, the app had reached 45 million cumulative downloads.
In January 2020, CyberAgent announced its Q1 earnings for the 2020 fiscal year (October to December 2019), stating that the media division was boosted by AbemaTV, with a revenue increase of 6.9% to 12.2 billion yen, although there was an operating loss of 5 billion yen. The number of paid members for Abema Premium increased to 593,000. In the same month, CyberAgent acquired Pro-Wrestling Noah. To streamline its growing combat sports portfolio, CyberAgent merged the promotion with DDT Pro-Wrestling in July 2020 to form a new consolidated subsidiary, CyberFight.
As of March 4, 2020, AbemaTV reached 50 million cumulative downloads on its smartphone app. Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and high demand for live, uncut broadcasts of news conferences, the number of weekly active users reached a record high of over 14.9 million in early April 2020.
In April 2020, AbemaTV changed its name to Abema, reflecting the diversification of its services beyond linear streaming to on-demand streaming and other offerings. Concurrently, CyberAgent established a new subsidiary, Oen, to support online live streaming and tipping systems for the entertainment industry. This infrastructure proved vital in June 2020, when Abema broadcast a paid, audience-less live concert for the band Southern All Stars. The event sold 180,000 tickets and attracted an estimated 500,000 viewers, proving the viability of a Pay-Per-View (PPV) model. To further secure premium music and anime content for this model, CyberAgent increased its stake in the entertainment conglomerate Avex to 12% in May 2021, becoming its top shareholder.
2021–2023: Major sports acquisitions and the 2022 World Cup On June 29, 2021, Abema announced that it would live stream 166 Major League Baseball games starting from July 1. The focus of the live streaming was on teams that included Japanese players, such as the Los Angeles Angels, featuring Shohei Ohtani. Out of the 166 games, 120 were available for free. On March 31, 2022, Abema announced that it would continue live streaming games for the 2022 season, starting from the opening game on April 8. The service streamed a total of 324 games, including all games of the Angels, with 234 of them being available for free.
In March 2022, Abema made a landmark announcement that it had acquired the rights to livestream for free all 64 matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Fujita pursued the rights to ensure the tournament remained viewable in Japan after traditional broadcasters balked at the escalating costs, which had reportedly exceeded 20 billion yen for the Qatar tournament compared to 550 million yen in 1998. Fujita acknowledged this was Abema's largest-ever investment, made possible by the massive financial success of CyberAgent's mobile game Uma Musume Pretty Derby. Rather than seeking direct profitability from the event, the goal was to elevate Abema's status as a major media platform and establish a high-quality streaming baseline.
Abema's PPV business saw another massive breakthrough in June 2022 with the broadcast of The Match 2022, a kickboxing event headlined by Tenshin Nasukawa and Takeru. The broadcast drew the highest single-day viewership in the platform's history and sold over 500,000 PPV tickets, firmly establishing combat sports as a highly lucrative pillar for the company.
Continuing its aggressive sports expansion, Abema announced in July 2022 that it had secured sub-licensing rights from SpoTV Now to broadcast 114 matches of the English Premier League for the 2022–23 season, offering half of the matches for free.