Shohei Ohtani’s worldwide fame draws Netflix into major World Baseball Classic partnership

Shohei Ohtani is doing what very few athletes can do. He is pulling an entire sport toward a new audience. Fresh off his second straight World Series title and a National League Most Valuable Player award announced in January, Ohtani is now at the center of a major media move ahead of the World Baseball Classic. His popularity has grown so large that even global streaming giants want in.According to Oricon News, Netflix has partnered with Nippon TV to stream select World Baseball Classic games in Japan this March. Nippon TV will broadcast 15 games, including Japan’s Tokyo Pool matchups, while Netflix will stream them live. The move puts Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan in front of millions of viewers in a new way.Nippon TV explained the decision clearly in a public statement. The network said, “Nippon TV has been commissioned to broadcast 15 WBC games in March, which will be exclusively streamed live by Netflix. As a promotional partner, the company will help promote the tournament through special WBC programs and informational programs on terrestrial television.”Netflix’s interest is not hard to understand and Shohei Ohtani’s games already pull huge numbers in Japan. In October 2024, nearly 12.9 million viewers in Japan watched his National League Division Series Game 5 against the San Diego Padres. That number was far higher than the U.S. audience for the same game. His presence also sent ticket prices soaring during the MLB Tokyo Series, with some seats reported at nearly $10,000.On the field, Shohei Ohtani remains baseball’s biggest attraction. He hit 55 home runs, drove in 102 runs, and struck out 187 batters last season. He is also in the middle of a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Off the field, he reportedly earned more than $100 million in 2025 through brand deals with Nike, Topps, Fanatics, and others.Nippon TV believes Netflix’s reach will help grow the tournament. The network said, “We believe that we can widely communicate the national interest of WBC 2026 and contribute to further fostering baseball culture.”Shohei Ohtani is expected to return for Samurai Japan after his iconic moment in 2023, when he struck out Mike Trout to seal the title game. He could also pitch alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yusei Kikuchi. With that kind of star power, Netflix is betting that baseball’s biggest name can once again change the game.