Tokyo Series proves to be big business for MLB — and Japanese companies
The day the Los Angeles Dodgers landed in Japan for the Tokyo Series, Hakkaisan Brewery announced an unusual collaboration — its flagship product would become the official sake of the defending World Series champions and will be available in special cups during games at Dodger Stadium this season.
Sake and baseball might seem like a curious match — even in Japan where beer and lemon sours are the more traditional ballpark refreshments. But the unprecedented popularity of two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, as well as his teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, is prompting not only the Dodgers but MLB itself to double down on the Japan connection.
Hakkaisan is the latest in a growing list of Japanese brands that have signed deals with the Dodgers, including ANA, Daiso and cosmetics company Kose, whose advertising boards were visible across Tokyo Dome last week. But the Tokyo Series was big business for the league overall, serving as an opportunity to shore up support in a market with the rare combination of spending power, a predilection for baseball and a wave of homegrown stars.
“Playing the games in Japan is about catering to the valuable fanbase in Japan,” says JC Bradbury, author of “The Baseball Economist” and a professor of economics at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. “It rewards existing fans who follow the games in the U.S. and attracts new fans.
“This is an especially fertile market due to the success of Japanese players in MLB, including the league’s best player (Ohtani). Because of baseball’s uniqueness, it’s more difficult to break into other countries, so the popularity of baseball in Japan is something that MLB wants to capitalize on.”
MLB representatives did not return requests for comment on the business implications of the series. The sheer number of partners involved, however, demonstrated the scope of the financial commitment from all sides: the clubs, the sponsors and beyond.
Amazon streamed the Tokyo Series on Prime Video in Japan and has also struck a deal to carry more than 50 MLB regular season games this year on its SPOTV channel for Prime subscribers in the market. The selection of games is said to focus on teams that have Japanese players.
The Tokyo Series was also shown on Nippon TV. A full breakdown of viewing figures wasn’t made available, but MLB said the opening game’s total figure of more than 25 million viewers marked a record for the league in Japan — beating out last year’s season-opening showcase in Seoul, which also featured Ohtani in his debut with the Dodgers.
