A Toho Streaming Serivce

[LegendZilla]

Undeniably, the landscape of modern media has been conquered by streaming services. Ever since last decade when Netflix transformed media consumption, it inspired a cascade of similar platforms like Disney+ and Amazon Prime to name a few, predominantly from Western companies. This begs the question: Is it time for Japanese conglomerates like Toho to throw their hat into the streaming ring?

Before we delve deeper, let’s pick a name first. To encapsulate nostalgia, how about we call it 'TohoScope'? A venture like this could could be a veritable goldmine for Toho, significantly boosting their profits. Moreover, it can make every movie and TV show ever produced by Toho more legally accessible worldwide.

On the flip side, we should also consider the potential drawbacks. Could such a move result in an oversaturation of Toho-related content? Could the influx of content shift focus from quality to quantity, which seems to be plaguing the MCU and Star Wars lately?

I am eager to hear your thoughts and insights on this concept. Could it potentially revolutionize the accessibility and appreciation of Toho's rich catalogue of works? Looking forward to a lively discussion. Stay tuned!

[Legion1979]

......what?

[UltramanGoji]

......what?

It's uh, really not that hard of a topic to grasp. The title literally says it all.

Anyway, I don't think a Toho streaming service would work nearly as well as something like Disney+ or Amazon Prime, which ironically enough aren't really doing that well period. Streaming isn't the major smash hit many people think it is with Disney losing millions on their service and Warner actively removing content from the platform for tax write-offs, suggesting it too isn't driving as much revenue as people think. A company's capitalization on a trend doesn't necessarily mean the trend is successful or profitable, just that the company thinks it is.

Funnily enough, Toho actually has a majority of their movies available on the Japanese version of Prime and (IIRC) Japanese Netflix. I think they're comfortable in their current situation and don't see that ever changing.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Streaming is just a sham by multimedia companies to take any control the consumers have to own media.

[LegendZilla]

......what?

It's uh, really not that hard of a topic to grasp. The title literally says it all.

Anyway, I don't think a Toho streaming service would work nearly as well as something like Disney+ or Amazon Prime, which ironically enough aren't really doing that well period. Streaming isn't the major smash hit many people think it is with Disney losing millions on their service and Warner actively removing content from the platform for tax write-offs, suggesting it too isn't driving as much revenue as people think. A company's capitalization on a trend doesn't necessarily mean the trend is successful or profitable, just that the company thinks it is.

Funnily enough, Toho actually has a majority of their movies available on the Japanese version of Prime and (IIRC) Japanese Netflix. I think they're comfortable in their current situation and don't see that ever changing.

With a different country comes its own corporate climate and culture. Toho venturing into the streaming industry doesn't mean they'll face the exact hurdles that Netflix and Disney+ are currently dealing with. Different markets, consumer behaviors, and business strategies could contribute to a unique set of opportunities and challenges.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Funnily enough, Toho actually has a majority of their movies available on the Japanese version of Prime and (IIRC) Japanese Netflix. I think they're comfortable in their current situation and don't see that ever changing.

Yep! And it's pretty great. A lot of their catalog is on their too, not just Godzilla. Honestly, I wish Toho would just dump their stuff on American Prime and make it much more accessible to the masses.

[gottatalktothefake]

I’m not going to pretend to know the current landscape of streaming in Japan. So I’m not going to try to guess as to how a Toho streaming service would do over there.

I can tell you it would be an incredibly niche and unpopular thing state-side however.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Streaming is just a sham by multimedia companies to take any control the consumers have to own media.

There's that too. Streaming was once a revolutionary concept, and a cool one. Pay Netflix 5-10 dollars a month and have access to classic shows and movies. Then Amazon comes into play with Prime, and a good chunk of people are already paying for Prime, so why not? Then Disney, Warner Brothes, and every fucking media conglomerate and place gets their filthy hands on the idea and rips it apart.

The less streaming services the better. And in Japan, people still always the option to buy physical media.

[LegendZilla]

Streaming is just a sham by multimedia companies to take any control the consumers have to own media.

There's that too. Streaming was once a revolutionary concept, and a cool one. Pay Netflix 5-10 dollars a month and have access to classic shows and movies. Then Amazon comes into play with Prime, and a good chunk of people are already paying for Prime, so why not? Then Disney, Warner Brothes, and every fucking media conglomerate and place gets their filthy hands on the idea and rips it apart.

The less streaming services the better. And in Japan, people still always the option to buy physical media.

That's why I think a new physical media format to succeed Blu-Ray deserves a chance.

[MaxRebo320]

I couldn't care less about them producing brand new, exclusive content, but I would still welcome a streaming service if it meant making their lesser-known titles readily available. While it's true that a lot are on Amazon Prime in HD, there are still hundreds (if not thousands) of titles produced by Toho that remain entirely unavailable on home video or streaming, with your only chance of seeing them being a cable TV airing.

Of course, such a thing would have super limited appeal outside of Japan, and would therefore probably make it exclusive to the country. But it would still allow those with VPNs or other tools to access obscure titles and maybe get them translated...but let's face it, I doubt very many people really care to see a 60+ year old salaryman comedy or whatever.

[LegendZilla]

But let's face it, I doubt very many people really care to see a 60+ year old salaryman comedy or whatever.

Did Toho produce such a show in the 60's?

[LSD Jellyfish]

But let's face it, I doubt very many people really care to see a 60+ year old salaryman comedy or whatever.

Did Toho produce such a show in the 60's?

https://www.tohokingdom.com/genre_movie ... html#y1960

We have a nice main site to check information

[MaxRebo320]

But let's face it, I doubt very many people really care to see a 60+ year old salaryman comedy or whatever.

Did Toho produce such a show in the 60's?

Why, it's almost like Toho was the biggest film studio during the period and produced a countless films in numerous genres.

The Shacho and Ekimae series of comedies starring Hisaya Morishige, which lasted from the late 50s up until 1969/70 spawned 33 and 24 films respectively. Yet I don't think anybody has made even a single comment about either here...until now.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I think I should mention, I watched Iron Finger on streaming back in the day. I forget what service it was on. Might have been Hulu. Anyways, I watched Iron Finger at that time because it was a Fukuda film that featured actors I liked around the same time Godzilla and Toho were in their golden age. So because it was so easily accessible I watched it on a whim. I'd do the same thing for many of the other Toho films. But I don't think there is a market for ordinary people...

[Amp87]

That would be amazing if Toho created a streaming service showcasing all their work dating back to the 1930s, not just the Godzilla franchise. We will get to see where they started and what got us here in the first place, and of course see ALL films and TV series from Toho. I mean, I am sure Toho knows this they have the budgets now and the Godzilla franchise now is worth over 10 billion worldwide, so it would not hurt to get a streaming service going. Toho has their products scattered all over the place on different platforms and not all films are showcased either, and it sucks going from platform to find a Showa or Heisei era film to watch, is tough.

• Toho streaming service would be amazing showing everything.

• A streaming service for ALLLLL not just Japan only.

[LSD Jellyfish]

That would be amazing is Toho created a streaming service showcasing all their work dating back to the 1930s, not just the Godzilla franchise. We will get to see where they started and what got us here in the first place, and of course see ALL films and TV series from Toho. I mean, I am sure Toho knows this they have the budgets now and the Godzilla franchise now is worth over 10 billion worldwide, so it would not hurt to get a streaming service going. Toho has their products scattered all over the place on different platforms and not all films are showcased either, and it sucks going from platform to find a Showa or Heisei era film to watch, is tough.

• Toho streaming service would be amazing showing everything.

I think that there's a few movies that Toho would not be proud of showing off (their Imperial Japan propaganda movies). Then again, it would be interesting to have media so easily accessible for historical reflection/archivist sake. Might be great to easily have the pro-war stuff easily accessible on the same platform as the later anti-war stuff to see the juxtaposition.

[StardustGenius]

https://comicbook.com/anime/news/godzil ... ve-movies/

Close enough

[Legion1979]

As it gets easier and easier to see Godzilla content for free in this country, I'm starting to wonder if we've seen the end of these films on physical media, at least until the 4K versions get here, which probably won't happen for a long time.

[StardustGenius]

I'm not sure. Perhaps the question will be "quality physical media" releases. I worry they might do low budget (LOWER) media releases. Like worse than they have done recently. The Heisei movies being PlutoTV exclusive makes me wonder about their rights situation. What logo is going to show up when these movies play on that channel.

Tiny sliver of hope that the original dub for VSMG93 randomly shows up on the channel. The way the International Dub for WOTG randomly showed up in 2018.

[Legion1979]

I just hope they air these in the best quality possible. It's going to suck if these look like the versions Comet TV plays, with their radioactive yellow clouds.