ONE World Sports Acquires Broadcasting Rights to Japan’s Yomiuri Giants

ONE World Sports, the English-language sports network with exclusive world-class competitions from around the globe, has entered into a licensing agreement with the Nippon Television Network Corporation to bring Japan’s most successful baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants – current Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) champion and holder of 22 NBP Championship titles – to millions of baseball fans in North America.

The Giants are Japan’s oldest and most popular baseball team, and are known widely as “The New York Yankees of Japan.”

The landmark agreement provides ONE World Sports exclusive North American rights to broadcast 72 Giants 2013 regular season games via television and broadband, from March 29 through September. The NPB season, and its rules, mirror those of U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB). ONE World Sports will deliver upwards of three Giants games per week in primetime.

“This groundbreaking agreement gives baseball fans in the United States the opportunity to follow the action throughout the season of the most popular Nippon Professional Baseball team — which has produced some of the world’s most accomplished baseball players,” said Alexander Brown, President and CEO of ONE World Sports.

Japanese professional baseball began with the founding of the Yomiuri Giants in 1934 and, since the beginning, the Giants have dominated — winning more pennants and Japan Series than any other team. The team is possibly best known as the home for nearly three decades – as player and manager – of legendary slugger Sadaharu Oh, but more recently has served as busy recruiting territory for MLB.

“We are delighted that the Yomiuri Giants now have the chance to be viewed by American sports fans on ONE World Sports,” stated Yukiko Kimishima, Divisional Vice President, International Business Development. “There has always been a strong connection between the Nippon Professional Baseball and U.S. Major League Baseball, and this new agreement allows the team great exposure in the United States. Japanese and Americans share a love for baseball, and we know that the American audience will enjoy following our team throughout the season.”