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Tuesday, 18th August 2015
In Japan Entertainment News,
Buzzfeed to launch in Japan
Social news and entertainment company Buzzfeed is launching a dedicated Japanese site as part of its global expansion.
Teaming up with Yahoo Japan, the US firm will create a news website for its audience in the Far East. It is somewhat of a departure from its usual output of social news, which it has been successful with in the likes of France, Australia, India, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and the UK.
As part of the agreement, Buzzfeed will own 51 per cent of Buzzfeed Japan, with Yahoo Japan having control of the rest. It represents the first time the US company has entered into a joint venture with a local firm when expanding overseas. Buzzfeed explained its decision to partner with Yahoo Japan, claiming it was a "perfect fit" for the move.
Writing in a blog post, Greg Coleman, president of Buzzfeed, said: "We’ve been really successful with the wholly owned and operated, organic-growth model we’ve used for launches in other countries, but in Japan we want to open with a partner who can help accelerate our growth. This is why a joint venture makes the most sense."
Mr Coleman went on to add that 45 per cent of the website's traffic came from outside the US during July, something which he described as "huge". Alongside the expansion into Japanese markets, it continues to invest in its News and Buzz products in Australia, Brazil and the UK.
Buzzfeed's US site recently commemorated the work of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki with an article dedicated to his work. It centred around Philippine artist Mary Ann Licudine (aka MALL) who had created a magnificent painting which featured many of Miyazaki's iconic characters.
Famous faces from Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Special Delivery and many more were depicted in this painting.
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