Bushiroad Transfers All Shares In NJPW To TV Asahi & CyberAgent
A complete transfer of NJPW shares by Bushiroad.
Bushiroad is the parent company of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and on May 27th, Bushiroad pushed out the announcement that, following a meeting of the Board of Directors, it was decided to transfer all shares in NJPW to TV Asahi and CyberAgent Inc.
The reasoning for the share transfer was provided in Bushiroad’s press release:
“Since making NJPW a consolidated subsidiary in 2012, the Company has focused on
enhancing NJPW’s corporate value through initiatives such as restructuring its management
system and developing and discovering affiliated wrestlers. As a result, NJPW has
established a strong business foundation and brand value, including the emergence of
young star wrestlers and recording its first complete sell-out crowd at its Tokyo Dome
event since 1998.
Meanwhile, in recent years, in the global professional wrestling and entertainment market,
the use of video content assets and diversified monetization through distribution platforms have become indispensable factors in further enhancing NJPW’s corporate value.
Taking into account these changes in the business environment, the Company has carefully
considered various options as it advances, while optimizing the Company group’s business
portfolio. As a result of such consideration, the Company recognized that, since NJPW
became a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, NJPW’s business foundation and brand
value have grown significantly as described above, and that the Company has fulfilled a
substantial role in enhancing the corporate value of NJPW. In addition, from the
perspective of promoting diversified monetization through the utilization of video content
assets and distribution platforms, the Company determined that conducting NJPW’s
business under TV Asahi, which has long been a major shareholder of NJPW and possesses
a strong broadcasting and video business platform, and CyberAgent, which has outstanding
expertise in digital media operations, would be the better option to maximize NJPW’s video and digital strategy for corporate value enhancement and to achieve sustainable growth and
further enhancement of corporate value. Accordingly, the Company decided to proceed
with the Share Transfer.
As a result of the Share Transfer, NJPW is expected to be excluded from the Company’s
consolidation scope and to become a consolidated subsidiary of TV Asahi. The Company
will, however, continue to maintain favorable relationships with each party while aiming
further to enhance the corporate value of the Company group.”
TV Asahi carries New Japan Pro-Wrestling events. The 2026 Dominion show on June 14th will air on the platform.
CyberAgent is a Japanese media conglomerate that also operates ABEMA. ABEMA airs pro wrestling and recently did a feature piece on WWE talent IYO SKY. ABEMA is the exclusive broadcaster for WWE in Japan. CyberFight is a subsidiary of CyberAgent, and the likes of Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT, and Tokyo Joshi-Pro Wrestling are under the CyberFight umbrella.
Netflix Vice President of Sports Gabe Spitzer stated that WWE on Netflix is coming to Japan later in 2026. In September 2023, ABEMA signed a contract with WWE to exclusively broadcast their shows in Japan.
