Nippon TV and CJ ENM’s first joint drama has delivered a global result quickly. Merry Berry Love, a ten-part Korean-Japanese romance, launched worldwide on Disney+ on October 7 and, within 14 days, became the streamer’s most viewed Japanese live-action title premiere globally in 2026 and the most viewed Japanese title premiere in APAC.
How the deal is structured
CJ ENM developed and produced the show, with Nippon TV as co-producer. Weekly episodes go up on Disney+ immediately after their linear broadcast on Nippon TV in Japan. Shinji Enari, Nippon TV’s Executive Vice President for Content Business, said the broadcaster let its Korean partner take the lead: “We delegated leadership to CJ ENM and have been supporting the production while following their lead.”
The cast is part of the pitch: Korea’s Ji Chang Wook plays a spatial designer and Japan’s Mio Imada plays a strawberry farmer, with the story set on a remote Japanese island. Kim Soojung directs and Lee Jaeyoon writes.
Why this number matters
The 14-day Disney+ result matters because it separates this title from a slow-burn local hit. It became the top Japanese live-action premiere of 2026 globally, not just in Japan, giving buyers a proof point for Korea-Japan co-productions.
Giyoung Choi, CEO of CJ ENM Japan, framed the split: Korean companies have years of experience distributing dramas globally, while Japan has been stronger in format sales. “Nippon TV wants to offer Japanese drama to the global market by taking advantage of our expertise in this area,” he said.
Choi also outlined a cultural gap that producers should watch:
- Korean approach: optimise for success.
- Japanese approach: reduce the risk of mistakes and failure.
- The lesson: neither model is better; value comes from observing each other and building shared working systems.
The wider Japan-Korea shift
The show is part of a broader trend. Netflix’s Blue Road and Fuji TV’s Kidnap Game are also mixing Korean and Japanese talent, crew and locations. Nippon TV is simultaneously expanding its global infrastructure, including a Los Angeles office, and its unscripted format studio Gyokuro Studio has drawn multiple offers within a year of launch.
For media planners, the takeaway is that Japanese live-action is becoming a global buy. A title with dual-country casting, a Disney+ global window and a linear Japanese debut offers two audience entry points: local broadcast reach and cross-border streaming discovery.
What to watch next
The real test is whether CJ ENM and Nippon TV can repeat the model. Choi said they are “really looking forward to working on more joint productions.” If the next co-production maintains this pace, Japanese live-action could become a more regular item on global streaming slates.
Source: Deadline
