▶ TV Asahi Joins In: Examining the 22.9% Growth Before Broadcasters Embark on LBE [7/30]

On July 28, 2026, STYLY and KDDI launched an industry-wide consortium called "LBEC."

LBE stands for "Location-Based Entertainment," or experiences that can only be had in a specific place.

It refers to events that bring visuals and interactive elements into physical spaces like commercial facilities, train stations, and movie theaters, transforming the entire venue.

The 25 participating companies include broadcasters like TV Asahi and Chukyo TV Broadcasting, as well as Tokyu Land Corporation, Parco, Mori Building, Mizuho Bank, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank.

The backdrop to this is market growth.

According to research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global LBE market is projected to grow from 5.47 billion USD (approx. 820 billion yen) in 2024 to 15.33 billion USD (approx. 2.3 trillion yen) by 2029, at a compound annual growth rate of 22.9%.

To capture this growth in Japan, the first thing LBEC will tackle is creating a "common yardstick."

Current LBE projects require site visits and condition adjustments from scratch every time a new project comes in, because the size, ceiling height, power supply, and communication environment differ for every venue.

This hassle creates a situation where the most interesting projects are the hardest to realize.

They are using the digitization of movie theaters as a model.

In the mid-2000s, seven major Hollywood studios formed an organization called "DCI" to standardize specifications such as resolution and color rendering for screening data.

Until then, distributors had to transport heavy cans containing film to theaters nationwide, but once the standards were aligned, this was replaced by data delivery.

According to data from the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, digital screenings accounted for 1.4% of all screens at the end of 2005, but reached 98.6% by the end of 2023.

What LBEC is trying to transplant is this sequence: "If you decide on the yardstick first, distribution will start moving later."

The point of contention for broadcasters is whose job this will be.

The work of sending out programs and characters as spatial events is a task that touches on the business departments that have handled events, the rights departments that act as the point of contact for rights, and the production departments that create the actual video content.

For the time being, it is conceivable that the business departments will lead individual projects, and as standards are established and the number of projects increases, the rights departments will take over as the point of contact.

The production departments will likely join in when it becomes necessary to shoot new footage specifically for these spaces.

Overseas, streaming companies are stepping out from behind the screen and into the streets.

In November 2025, Netflix opened an experience facility called "NETFLIX HOUSE" inside a large commercial complex in Philadelphia, USA.

It covers an area of approximately 9,300 square meters, about 1.3 times the size of a soccer field.

Admission itself is free, and the business model relies on charging for activities, shopping, and dining inside.

What I want you to notice here is that Netflix does not own the land or the building.

They are renting space in another company's mall.

While it is a realistic approach for a broadcaster to do the same, the reason they can keep such a large space filled with customers year-round is likely because they possess content that resonates anywhere in the world.

One more thing. The aforementioned figure of 22.9% annual growth cannot be celebrated at face value.

This survey counts sales on the "equipment side," such as VR devices, projectors, and the software that runs them.

The largest sector is gaming, with major companies like Microsoft and Google being cited.

In other words, what is increasing is the money venues spend on equipment, and it does not necessarily mean that the money flowing to those licensing the programs will increase at the same rate.

I believe the first thing a broadcaster should consider, before the size of the market, is the single point of which of their programs can attract people on a weekday afternoon.