According to the company, a game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 14 had the most viewers in the NBA regular season in Japan since the 2019-2020 season.

While e-commerce giant Rakuten Group Inc. had controlled NBA broadcasting in Japan until last season, Amazon in July 2024 tied up an 11-year deal for exclusive global coverage from this season.

At a time when online broadcasting continues to gain ground in the world of sports, Amazon Prime has provided 67 regular season games this NBA campaign, as well as all games in the ongoing playoffs, with more available under upgraded subscriptions.

“We’re getting a good reaction…Japanese people are starting to hold interest in the entire NBA,” said Yosuke Ishibashi, Prime Video’s head of content in Japan.

The presence of Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and Chicago Red Bulls guard Yuki Kawamura in the sport’s top competition is partly behind the surge, but not the only reason, he said.

Having Japanese players on two of the most high-profile NBA teams, long familiar to Japanese fans, has been one factor alongside the rising popularity of the domestic B-League and the national team, according to Ishibashi.

With Kawamura previously playing for the Yokohama B-Corsairs in the B-League and Chiba Jets Funabashi forward Yuta Watanabe back in Japan following his NBA spell, it appears increasingly possible to develop a fanbase that follows both leagues.

“If we can facilitate such a cycle, the overall number of fans will go up and can contribute to the sports if only slightly,” Ishibashi said.