Lemino

Lemino (レミノ) is a Japanese video on demand over-the-top streaming service operated by NTT Docomo. From its establishment in 2011 until 2022, it was owned 70% by Avex. It operated as a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service under the name d-market Video Store (dマーケット VIDEOストア) from 2011 to 2013, d-video (dビデオ) from 2013 to 2015, and dTV from 2015 to 2023, before becoming partially an ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service.

In 2016, it had the largest market share of 24.1% in Japan, but in 2022, its share had decreased to 4.2%.

In addition to Lemino, Docomo operates a sister service called d-anime Store, which is a SVOD service specializing in anime content. It has 2.5 million subscribers.

History
In April 2009, Avex Entertainment and NTT Docomo announced the launch of a mobile phone exclusive broadcasting station called BeeTV for Docomo users, which was set to start broadcasting on May 1, 2009. This project was announced in October 2008. BeeTV is operated by a joint venture company called Avex Broadcasting & Communications Inc., in which Avex holds a 70% stake and Docomo holds a 30% stake. The company was established on April 10, 2009. In March, 2011, it expanded its service to Android smartphones with a monthly subscription fee of 315 yen. On December 18, 2011, NTT Docomo launched a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service called d-market Video Store powered by BeeTV (dマーケット VIDEOストア powered by BeeTV) (d-video or Video Store) within their online store d-market, along with music and ebook distribution services. The service was available exclusively for Docomo's mobile phone users and cost 525 yen per month. However, in February 2012, an Android app was made available for the service.

The number of members for Video Store surpassed 1 million on April 24, 2012, 2 million on July 21, 2012, 3 million on November 25, 2012, and 4 million on March 19, 2013. On January 30, 2013, VIDEO Store was renamed to d-video powered by BeeTV (dビデオ powered by BeeTV) (d-video).

Starting from February 26, 2014, d-market services, including d-video, became available for use on smartphones and tablets from companies other than Docomo. On April 22, 2015, Avex and Docomo announced that d-video would be renamed to dTV starting from the same day. As part of its renewal, dTV introduced a zapping user interface. Upon launching the app, a video immediately starts playing, and the channels arranged vertically can be changed by flicking on a smartphone or using a TV remote control, allowing users to begin watching something without actively searching for it. This change has made it easier for users to find video content and improved overall convenience.

As a result of this renewal, the cancellation rate significantly decreased and the number of subscribers increased. On March 27, 2016, the number of dTV users exceeded 5 million, making it the largest SVOD service in Japan, significantly surpassing Video Pass by KDDI with 1 million users, UULA by Avex and SoftBank with 1.24 million users, and Hulu Japan by Nippon TV with 1 million users.

dTV started supporting Chromecast in May 2015, Fire TV in March 2016, and Apple TV in June 2016.

On June 30, 2018, dTV released Punk Samurai Kirarete-sōrō, a movie produced solely by the video streaming service. This marked the first time a Japanese movie produced by a streaming service was released in theaters. Originally planned as a streaming exclusive, the project was later given a nationwide theatrical release in 300 cinemas. However, the box office revenue was only 300 million yen.

According to the market research firm GEM Partners, as of 2016, dTV had a domestic share of 24.1%, overwhelmingly ranking first. However, in 2017, the share decreased to 18.1%, in 2019 to 13.7%, and in 2022 to 4.2%.

In December 2021, Docomo announced that it would be changing the URL of dTV from video.dmkt-sp.jp to dtv.docomo.ne.jp. However, this change was not implemented until the renewal to Lemino.

The financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2022 for the company that operates dTV showed a significant decline in revenue and profit, with sales of 11.2 billion yen (a decrease of 6.7% from the previous year) and operating profit of 460 million yen (a decrease of 70.1% from the previous year). Over the past two years, sales have decreased by approximately 20% and operating profit has decreased by over 80%. In light of these challenging business conditions, in January 2023, Avex and Docomo dissolved their joint venture, with Avex selling all of its shares to Docomo, which previously owned a 30% stake in the company while Avex held a 70% stake.

On March 6, 2023, NTT Docomo announced that it would be replacing its dTV video streaming service with an ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service called Lemino from April 12. Lemino will have two plans: a free, ad-supported plan and a premium plan called "Lemino Premium" for 990 yen per month. While dTV had a strong lineup of music content, Lemino has expanded its offerings to include original works, anime, and Korean dramas, resulting in a library of nearly 180,000 titles, which is slightly less than double its previous count. In an effort to reach a broader range of customers beyond Docomo's telecommunications subscribers, the Lemino brand dropped the "d" from its name, which was associated with Docomo.

During a press conference on the 6, Docomo executive officer Tomo Kobayashi stated, "The competition in the video streaming service market has become intense, and relying solely on low prices has caused us to lose some of our presence. We want to introduce something new." According to Gem Partners' estimates, dTV held a market share of 4.2% in Japan's subscription video streaming services in 2022. Domestic capital services are undergoing consolidation, and in January of this year, Z Holdings and Yahoo! Japan announced the end of their video streaming service, Gyao!. In February, U-Next, which held the second-largest market share domestically, announced the acquisition of the operating company of Paravi, in which TBS Television and TV Tokyo had invested.

Docomo announced on April 24, 2023 that it has formed a business alliance with Yoshimoto Kogyo Holdings in the entertainment industry. On May 1, they established a joint venture company called NTT Docomo Studio & Live to produce programs, discover idol groups, and hold live concerts. The new company plans to distribute its programs on the Lemino and also aims to sell the developed idols and programs overseas.