VICE Media, has announced a partnership with NTT DOCOMO’s advanced mobile ecosystem enabler DOCOMO Digital, to bring VICE’s award winning content to a Japanese mobile audience with its cutting-edge platforms.

Through the strategic partnership, which starts in Japan and will cover the APAC region later, DOCOMO Digital will provide VICE with state-of-the-art customer acquisition, marketing services, and payment platforms to bring VICE programming to hundreds of thousands of users every day. The platform will include original, locally produced video that will premiere alongside curated content from VICE’s network of digital channels around the world.

“We launched our Japanese office in 2012, excited to give a voice and platform to the compelling people and stories coming out of Japan.

This content has become immensely popular among young people in Japan, with several million Japanese people viewing VICE content every month,” said VICE Global general manager Hosi Simon. “As the demand for VICE content continues to grow rapidly in Japan, this partnership with DOCOMO Digital will offer even more access to the stories we tell every day, and will allow us to reach even more young people across all screens.”

Hiroyuki Sato, CEO of DOCOMO Digital

“We have created award-winning content locally in Japan since 2012, focusing on the topics most relevant to our young audience, like news, tech, fashion,food, arts and more,” said Bingo Sato, general manager of VICE Japan. “This partnership with DOCOMO Digital will expand our presence across multiple platforms, bringing VICE content to even more young people in Japan.”

Hiroyuki Sato, CEO of DOCOMO Digital commented: “This partnership highlights the shared goal between VICE and DOCOMO Digital to help grow the mobile content ecosystem, improving payment, marketing and acquisition capabilities.

Hosi Simon, general manager at VICE Global

Like VICE, we firmly believe that the ability to contribute and participate in the digital economy should be made universal, and the most universal gateway on the planet is mobile. The partnership provides another means to enable connected life for consumers, and also brings VICE’s award winning content to our mobile audience in Japan.”

VICE has operated a network of locally created and programmed digital channels in Japan since 2012. Born out of a significant rise in the consumption of video content on mobile devices by young people across Japan, the deal will allow VICE to meet growing demand and bring the best original video content—covering news, tech, fashion, food, arts and more—to a rapidly expanding audience.

The partnership comes on the heels of a major global expansion at VICE. In June, VICE unveiled an expansive slate of international deals that, within the next year, will make its multi-screen programming available to audiences in over 50 new territories in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and India. In total, VICE’s award winning multi-platform programming will be available in over 80 territories.

DOCOMO Digital brings together key assets and capabilities to enable mobile commerce for mobile network operators, digital and real-world service providers, merchants and regulators. In a nutshell, it provides expertise, technology and operational services to bring to life next-generation mobile commerce platforms.

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