MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has licensed content to website and over-the-top (OTT) subscription service Hulu in Japan.

The multiple year agreement will initially see around 600 hours of BBC Worldwide programming made available on the multi-device platform from 17 February.

The deal represents the largest volume of BBC Worldwide content on any platform in Japan, with titles licensed across drama, comedy, music, lifestyle, natural history, science and history, including ‘Doctor Who‘, ‘Spooks‘, ‘Little Britain‘, ‘Walking with Dinosaurs‘, ‘Top Gear‘ and ‘Life‘.

Hulu subscribers in Japan will also be able to watch premieres of ‘Polar Bear – Spy on the Ice‘ (feature length version), and the ‘Absolutely Fabulous‘ 20th Anniversary Specials, available for the first time to Japanese viewers as part of the deal.

BBC Worldwide sales, distribution Asia GM, senior VP Joyce Yeung said, “We’re excited to be expanding our business in the Japanese digital sector by becoming the first British distributor to partner with Hulu in Japan. Hulu’s versatile service opens up a new audience for our catalogue, which covers everything from entertainment formats and international drama productions, to cutting-edge science documentaries and world-renowned natural history titles.”

Hulu in Japan head of content acquisition Kazufumi Nagasawa said, “Our goal is to bring Japanese entertainment fans unlimited streaming access to the world’s premium content whenever and wherever they want to watch. The BBC is home to some of the most premium content on the planet, and we are thrilled to make these programmes available to Hulu subscribers”.

Hulu Japan launched in September 2011, marking the first expansion of Hulu outside of the US. The service allows Japanese consumers to watch unlimited content on multiple internet connected devices.