NJPW World Subscriber Count Up 35% In 24 Hours
Wrestle Kingdom sees company's on-demand service soar.
According to Dave Meltzer, speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, subscriptions for New Japan Pro Wrestling's on-demand streaming service NJPW World absolutely skyrocketed in the wake of 4 January's Wrestle Kingdom 12. In the space of just 24 hours, the user count increased from 70,000 to a mammoth 95,000 - a leap of just over 35%. Naturally, the boom in subscribers has been well-received in the company, with officials said to see it as a "real success."
NJPW's 4 January show, traditionally the biggest in the promotion's calendar, has contributed significantly in diverting Western eyes away from domestic product and towards the best of Japanese wrestling. Last year's Tokyo Dome extravaganza saw the still-nascent and at the time difficult to decipher NJPW World boost its subscriber count by 20%. This year's edition more than double 2016's tally of 10,000 fresh converts.
Though ostensibly headlined by Tetsuya Naito vs. IWGP Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada, Wrestle Kingdom 12 was clearly geared towards attracting fans in the English speaking world courtesy of its dream match between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. Jericho is the key factor here; as a stalwart of WWE for the best part of the past twenty years, he brought to the company huge cross-promotional appeal. For many, pure intrigue more than anything will have been enough to convince them to tune in for the night.