U-NEXT Posts Record Sales for 8th Year, 5.4M Paid Subscribers

U-NEXT HOLDINGS announced on October 14, 2026 its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ended August 2026, reporting net sales of 469.957 billion yen, up 20.4% year on year, according to gamebiz.jp. Sales set a record high for the eighth consecutive fiscal year.

Operating profit came to 30.255 billion yen, down 4.2% year on year, while ordinary profit was 28.169 billion yen, down 8.8%, and final profit was 14.959 billion yen, down 18.7%.

The content distribution business recorded sales of 144.46 billion yen, up 12.5%, and operating profit of 11.276 billion yen, up 16.9%. Paid subscribers reached 5.4 million as of the end of August 2026, an increase of 450,000 from the end of the previous fiscal year, and the number of users starting the service in August 2026 (billed from September) was the highest since the service launched. Recurring sales rose 23% year on year to 390.2 billion yen, accounting for 83% of consolidated sales.

Anime Production and Partnership Moves

In April 2026, the company established the anime production company StudioMonowa through a joint investment with South Korean entertainment company CJ ENM and TBS Holdings. In June 2026, it made anime production company GoHands a wholly owned subsidiary, and in August 2026 it concluded a comprehensive strategic partnership with NBCUniversal in Japan. The telecom and energy business struggled due to rising power procurement costs amid the worsening Middle East situation.

For the fiscal year ending August 2027, U-NEXT HOLDINGS forecasts sales of 524 billion yen, operating profit of 32.5 billion yen, ordinary profit of 30.7 billion yen, final profit of 16.5 billion yen and EPS of 91.47 yen.