I think generally producers want to budget shows to make a profit off of the North American market. Anything other regions buy is only extra profit, so it's priced for them to be able to buy it if they're interested.
this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2026
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Is there also a large disparity in content made for Japanese speakers?
Yes
What do competing services cost? In the US, Apple TV+ is similar in cost to other services
- Apple TV+ $12.99
- Disney+ $9.99
- Netflix $7.99-$24.99
How long has it been released in your country? I believe it was $5 here too when it first started, to create a customer base
Edit: I believe Apple TV+ is for all family members whereas Netflix you have to get one of the more expensive plans. I’ll have to check their definition of family because both prime and Netflix decided my kids were no longer family when they turned 18
Also worth noting that the price of Apple TV should be compared to ad-free tiers of other streaming services, since they have no ad-supported tier.
(Prices per month in USD)
- Apple TV: $12.99
- Disney+ Ad-Free: $18.99
- Netflix Ad-Free: $19.99
- HBO Ad-Free: $18.49
- Amazon Ad-Free: $19.98
The same things are less in JP:
- Apple TV: ¥900 ($5.60)
- Disney+ Ad-Free: ¥1250 ($7.85)
- Netflix Ad-Free: ¥1590 ($10.00)
- Amazon Ad-Free: ¥390 ($2.45)
There's no HBO in Japan so that's out of the picture, also it's weird that Japanese Netflix is HALF of the US price. (That's because the yen is weak making it appear cheaper than it should). Also, why is ad free Amazon expensive in the US while in Japan that is closely priced the same as an onigiri for 400 yen at a konbini.
Also, why is ad free Amazon expensive in the US while in Japan that is closely priced the same as an onigiri for 400 yen at a konbini.
The "official" price of the ad-free tier is just US $4.99, but you also need an Amazon Prime subscription in the first place to be able to stream, so it's the combined price of the two.
In that regard, the cost could be brought down a little bit if you pay for Prime yearly (about $16.59 per month combined). But similar holds true for every other streaming service. There only appears to be annual savings for paying the base subscription yearly, no annual option for the ad-free option.
Edit: While looking further into it, I had seen that there may have been a $9/mo standalone subscription to Prime Video with no other Prime benefits, giving you a cost of $1 less than Apple TV if you paid for ad-free (back when that was $3), but that now appears to be fake news. They hiked ad-free and I can't find any page advertising the standalone subscription anymore.
The subsciption alone is ¥600 ($3.80) a month but with ad free, it's ¥990 ($6.15) which is like 30% CHEAPER than $19.98, it's crazy how the prices are different for literally the SAME THING. Annual subscription is ¥5900 ($36), so is the same subscription overpriced in the US for an entire year?
Everything is cheaper in Japan. Internet, phone service, subscriptions, food, rent. Embrace the lower cost of living while you have it.
Only ever used the free 3-month trials, about 3-4 times and maybe once or twice it was just for a month. They've stopped doing them for the most part, or no longer work on account that used the offer despite it being a "new" offer after previous one had expired long time ago. Reeflagdeals forum was full of people who just used that, but ofc that a limited amount of users.
Now I just get their shit for free elsewhere instead.
Some telecom providers will bundle a few services together into a better deal, but it's till overpriced. Best we had gotten was prime, Netflix and Disney bundles for 12 CAD. Apple instead of one of them (prime I think?) was 15. Al basic with adverts of but cheaper than regular payments. Once that expires, it's back to full time sailing.