Under the terms of the deal, Private will license its content to e-STATION, which has been an adult broadcaster in Japan since 1992. Private expects the deal, which will bring its content to 3.5 million Japanese subscribers, to realize revenues of $500,000 within the first year.
E-STATION will run Private content on its three channels: Midnight Blue, Flamingo and Splash.
Midnight Blue, the company’s flagship channel, broadcasts 60 titles per month, including new releases. Flamingo and Splash cater to the Japanese pay-per-view market.
For Private, which recently inked deals in Australia and New Zealand — two territories known for restrictive content requirements — the ability to tailor content to Japan’s laws proved to be a passport to enter the country.
"In light of the relatively strict censorship and cultural requirements in Japan, Private is doing an excellent job of catering to our market by adapting their content and filming Asian-specific movies like Private's recently produced ‘World Cups 2006’,” e-STATION Executive Producer Takahiro Okano said. “We can't wait to air this new movie.”
“World Cups 2006” is the first Private movie filmed specifically for the Japanese market. The movie features local stars, a move the company made to boost name recognition for the Private brand in the region. Private plans to begin work soon on its second Japanese-tailored feature, “Geisha.” Both films will air on all three e-STATION channels.
“When we met with Private, we were impressed with the professionalism of their team and the high-quality content they provide,” e-STATION CEO Hideo Shimazaki said. “We immediately realized the value this would bring to our three channels in Japan and we would like to express our sincere thanks to Private for quickly delivering specialized content for our market.”
According to Bo Rosenkvist, CEO of Private Asia, e-STATION was a perfect partner to enter the Japanese market with.
"Private Asia is proud to work with e-STATION, taking advantage of their 14 years of experience in this growing market,” Rosenkvist said. “This is a major triumph for us, giving Private exposure on three of the most popular adult channels in Japan. We are fully committed to satisfying the Asian market, and we are thrilled that e-STATION is the first company in this region to broadcast our content."