Baseball fans, get ready! The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is hitting the field next year, and as MLB's premier international tournament, excitement is building across all participating nations vying for a spot in the knockout rounds.
But for Japan, the reigning 2022 champions, a recent announcement about the WBC broadcasting rights has sent shockwaves through the fandom: Netflix will be the exclusive streaming home for the tournament next year. The news immediately ignited a fierce online debate, with many fans lamenting that "it's not about the money to watch, it's about losing that nationwide buzz you only get from free-to-air TV."
Japanese media reports confirm that after five consecutive tournaments with free TV broadcasts, the WBC will indeed be absent from terrestrial television this time around. MLB Japan's official X (formerly Twitter) account also made the announcement.
Apparently, broadcast rights fees have skyrocketed in recent years. By 2023, the cost was already nearly triple that of 2017, hitting around 3 billion JPY. This latest deal reportedly saw the price multiply several times over, ultimately leading the rights to land with a streaming platform.
For many in Japan, where baseball is practically the national sport, the inability to watch the WBC on free-to-air TV means losing that unique, unifying atmosphere of an entire nation rallying behind its team.
Netizens shared nostalgic memories: teachers turning on classroom TVs during lessons so everyone could watch the WBC, high-fiving strangers in front of department store screens in high school. Others recalled unforgettable scenes of cheering for Team Japan together in classrooms, near stadiums, or even in front of shop TVs along bustling streets.
Many users pointed out that the value of free TV broadcasts isn't just about saving money; it's about giving "people who don't normally watch baseball" a chance to get hooked and fall in love with the sport.
"International tournaments should get even casual viewers hyped, that's how the baseball community grows!" one user exclaimed. Another lamented, "Charging through Netflix removes that chance encounter, which is really bad for the next generation of kids." These sentiments resonated with many online.
However, a significant number of voices pushed back against the idea of "forcing an entire class or nation to watch." One netizen stated, "I have no interest in baseball. As a kid, being forced to watch broadcasts in the gym just felt like a waste of time." Others pointed out that the atmosphere back then could even make "those who didn't watch or cheer" feel like outsiders. Not everyone wants to watch the games, and romanticizing it as a universal national memory can actually be quite painful for those who aren't interested.
Japan's WBC move to Netflix exclusivity will undoubtedly boost viewing quality and secure broadcasting rights, but it also means sacrificing the "everyone-watches-together" vibe unique to terrestrial TV. Some see this as an inevitable shift in the commercial era, while others worry about the impact on the national spirit of supporting Japanese baseball.
Regardless, for Japanese baseball fans, paying for the 2026 WBC isn't the main concern. The real question is whether this shift will dampen the national fervor, and we'll only know for sure once the games begin.
via： togetter