Deadline has reported that Disney has generated a multi-year development deal with Tokyo-based production company The Seven, which is known as one of Netflix’s most frequent partners on Japanese language films and series. The company is aiming to increase its overall output of live-action Disney+ originals from Japan as a directive from their Asia-Pacific content team for worldwide growth.
The Seven is an established subsidiary of Japanese major commercial broadcaster TBS Holdings (Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings) from late 2021, led by president and CEO Katsuaki Setoguchi (Boys Over Flowers, Midnight Rain) and vice president and chief content creator Akira Morii (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kids Return). From Deadline, some of the studio’s highest-profile credits stem from its 2022 strategic partnership with Netflix for five years including Morii’s production team who have worked on titles such as manga adaptation YuYu Hakusho and hit survival dystopian series Alice in Borderland. Most recently, The Seven has also produced Song of the Samurai, an upcoming jidaigeki series that is slated for an HBO release in May and a co-development deal with Hollywood producer David Permut (Hacksaw Ridge, The Polka King) for film projects within the blended U.S.-Japan market.
Financial details and deal duration were not disclosed, per Deadline. Disney’s deal was described as a “long term, ongoing content development collaboration.” Under the terms, Disney’s content team will be read into the earliest stages of project development and work alongside The Seven’s producers to create Japanese-language series exclusively for Disney+. This deal is a contrasting shift for Disney+ Japan, as the platform has typically co-produced or acquired titles on a project-by-project basis instead of using dedicated development partners.
With this new deal, The Seven is in a unique position as a rare Japanese production house partnered with two of the world’s dominant streaming entertainment platforms. Deadline highlighted trends of accelerating competition for Japanese content; Japan’s premium streaming sector grew 15% in 2025 to hit revenues of $7.2 billion, according to recent reports from Media Partners Asia (MPA), putting the country’s estimate at the world’s third-biggest premium streaming market by revenue between the U.S. and China (while the latter does not permit foreign platform operators). February 2026 MPA estimates set Netflix as the Japanese market leader with a 22 % premium VOD revenue share, accompanied by Amazon Prime Video with the largest 19.3 million subscriber base (which is partially attributed towards the company’s main e-commerce offering). Disney+ entered the ring with 3% of total viewing hours and a recent joint bundle with Hulu Japan to further expand its footprint.
Japanese-themed content has entered the global entertainment sphere and continued to break records, as described by Deadline; Including the consistent youth-culture marker of Anime, live-action Japanese storytelling has led to major breakthroughs such as through Disney’s own samurai epic Shōgun (which swept the 2024 Emmys with a record-setting 18 wins including best drama series).
The deal between Disney+ and The Seven aims to bring a new depth to entertainment storytelling and creativity from the company that helps endear to audiences worldwide.