Japanese streaming platform U-Next has been unveiled as the exclusive domestic rightsholder of golf’s DP World Tour from the 2025 season.
Coverage on the service will begin with the Team Cup on January 10, 2025. U-Next will then broadcast every tournament in the season-long Race to Dubai, which culminates in the DP World Tour Play-offs in November.
The deal bolsters the streaming platform’s golf offering as it has been the rightsholder of the PGA Tour since 2022 and holds rights to broadcast two major championships - the Masters and the Open Championship.
U-Next will also be the home of the inaugural season of the TGL, the tech-infused golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports entertainment venture, in 2025.
The DP World Tour features multiple Japanese golfers on the circuit, several of whom have enjoyed notable success in 2024.
Rikuya Hoshino won his maiden DP World Tour title at the Qatar Masters and finished 16th in the Race to Dubai Rankings - subsequently earning dual PGA Tour membership for 2025.
Keita Nakajima also secured his first DP World Tour victory at the Indian Open in March, and Yuto Katsuragawa won his first DP World Tour title at the co-sanctioned 2024 ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.
The DP World Tour has a strategic alliance with the Japanese Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) which has created a pathway for Japanese players to compete on the DP World Tour.
Richard Bunn, chief revenue and content officer at the DP World Tour, said: “The DP World Tour has long been a home for Japan’s top golfers and the quality of talent coming through the ranks in Japan is impressive – demonstrated by multiple Japanese winners on the DP World Tour last season.
“U-Next have built a strong reputation for the quality of their sports content and I’m delighted that Japanese golf fans will be able to watch every DP World Tour event live in 2025.”
U-Next also recently snapped up rights to men’s tennis’ ATP Tour for the next five seasons. Its rights portfolio additionally includes English soccer’s Premier League (until 2031), Spain's LaLiga, and mixed martial arts’ Professional Fighters League.
