Disney’s New Asia Streaming Boss on K-Drama, Sports and the Untapped Japan Opportunity
Tony Zameczkowski, a key player in Netflix’s early Asia-Pacific expansion, is now steering Disney+ across the region as senior vice president and general manager for APAC. Under his watch, Disney is quickening its streaming push: Korean originals are breaking records, ESPN has landed on Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand, and the company is gearing up for a bigger bet on Japanese content—long considered the most valuable but under-tapped market in Asia for premium streaming.
Running Disney+ the Disney Way
Zameczkowski says the APAC strategy blends global franchises with deeply local execution. Distribution and bundling with partners—especially telcos—remain central. In Korea, for example, a bundle with Tving brings both services to customers for a single price, helping reach casual fans beyond Disney’s core superfans.
Local content is the other pillar. Korean shows continue to travel widely on Disney+: Perfect Crown, an alternate-reality romantic comedy, set a new benchmark as the platform’s biggest Korean series premiere to date with over 43 million watch hours. Unscripted formats are also working: Battle of Fates, centered on fortune tellers, performed so strongly that a wave of remakes is now planned across Asia.
He underscores what makes Disney unique: a broad ecosystem—including ESPN, Hulu, theme parks and cruise lines—that amplifies Disney+ in ways few rivals can. Fandom is a key differentiator, too; the D23 fan event will come to Singapore in 2027, deepening engagement in the region.
Sustainable Growth, Local Mindset
Disney’s goal in APAC is “sustainable growth,” not expansion at any cost. The company is investing heavily in content worldwide this year, with local content as a critical component. The approach is to be “even more local” while leveraging global scale—visible in rising investments in Korean and Japanese content and in market-by-market product localization.
Localization extends beyond programming to payments and pricing. In Japan, Disney+ added support for PayPay, reflecting how many Asian consumers prefer mobile wallets or direct carrier billing over credit cards. The platform continues to fine-tune methods of payment, pricing, partnerships and content to fit each market’s habits and needs.
ESPN’s APAC Play: Start Smart, Then Localize
ESPN’s rollout on Disney+ is furthest along in Australia and New Zealand, where the sports brand is now integrated into the Disney+ bundle alongside Hulu and other brands. Zameczkowski describes strong customer reception and content parity with ESPN’s linear offering.
Elsewhere in East Asia—Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore—ESPN debuted via a soft launch, largely centered on U.S. sports. The aim is to learn viewer behavior first, then ramp up localization. Early moves include local rights where they matter: in Korea, Disney+ carries KeSPA’s League of Legends esports championship, fully localized in Korean; in the Philippines, Disney+ offers NBA games to a basketball-obsessed audience. More rights will follow selectively, with ESPN’s long-standing relationships ensuring a “seat at the table,” but each investment will be judged on local relevance and economics.
Short-Form Video and the Product Roadmap
Disney+ is testing Verts, a vertical-video discovery experience, first launched in the U.S. The platform uses AI to reformat scenes from existing content for mobile-centric browsing; when interest is sparked, viewers can jump into the full-length title. If tests succeed, Verts could expand into more APAC markets.
The ad-supported tier launched in Australia and New Zealand in April and is performing well so far. It improves accessibility for price-sensitive viewers who are comfortable with some advertising. Additional markets may be considered as Disney+ scales.
Japan: The Biggest Untapped Prize
Japan remains Disney+’s largest growth opportunity in Asia outside anime, which already exports strongly. Live-action content from Japan still skews heavily domestic, but Disney+ is building momentum. Gannibal was a breakthrough, and more local productions are coming. The company is co-producing with The Seven and preparing to launch Merry Berry Love, a Korea-Japan romantic comedy featuring stars from both countries—an example of cross-border collaboration Zameczkowski expects to see more of.
One App for Everything Disney
Disney+ is evolving into the gateway for the company’s brands. What began as Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic and Marvel now also includes Hulu and, in APAC, ESPN. The Disney+ Perks loyalty program offers benefits and promotions from across the ecosystem—parks, cruises and retail—hinting at how “One Disney” can deepen engagement and lifetime value.
Competing for Attention, Not Just Subscriptions
Winning in APAC comes down to execution across four levers, Zameczkowski says: world-class content (global franchises plus relevant local originals), product excellence (personalization and recommendations that match content to audiences), resonant marketing (creating cultural moments), and monetization (smart pricing, partnerships and ad formats). The competitive set today is broader than streaming—it’s everything vying for attention, from social video to music. The plan: run Disney’s own race, play to its ecosystem strengths, and localize where it counts.
