J:COM

J:COM Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, whose main operation is an MSO (multiple-system) cable operator in Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. It is a consolidated subsidiary of KDDI, and is a 50/50 joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation.

JCOM Co., Ltd.

Native name	JCOM株式会社
Romanized name	Jeikomu kabushiki-gaisha
Formerly	Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Ltd. (1995-2021)
Company type	Private
Traded as	TYO: 4817
Industry	Telecommunications Mass media
Headquarters	Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo , Japan
Owner	KDDI (50%) Sumitomo Corporation (50%)
Subsidiaries	Asmik Ace J:COM BS J Sports Jupiter Golf Network [ja] Warner Bros. Discovery Japan [ja] (minority stake)
Website	jcom.co.jp jcom.co.jp/corporate

Previously known as Jupiter Communications, the company uses the brand name J:COM, and many of its subsidiaries have the J:COM name.

History

The company was created in December 1994 by Tele-Communications Inc., one of the largest MSOs in the world at the time. The company would initially offer cable systems and would later branch out to telephone services.^[1] The company expected to set up its telephony services by mid-1996, as well as trialing interactive television services.^[2] TCI, on its behalf, had problems with Japanese bureaucracy, as well as problems faced by smaller cable companies to provide digital services even after deregulation in 1993, enabling more foreign control.^[2] In 1999, it signed an agreement with @Home Internet to provide internet services for its subscribers.^[3]

Liberty Global sold its stake to KDDI in January 2010.^[4]

On December 1, 2023, it added Paramount+ to its services, alongside WOWOW.^[5] In June 2025, it took over satellite channel BS Shochiku Tokyu, saving it from closure, and renaming it J:COM BS.^[6]

J:COM Channel

J:COM Channel is the name given to its community channels. A second channel, J:COM TV, started broadcasting in June 2011.^{[7][dead link]}

References

1. Dubroff, Henry (December 7, 1994). "TCI revamp to trigger four IPOs". The Denver Post.
2. "Bureaucracy in Action: One Firm's Struggle to Bring Cable Television to Tokyo". The New York Times. October 3, 1995. Archived from the original on July 14, 2025.
3. At Home to Offer Internet Access In Japan in Sumitomo Venture
4. Liberty Global Sells Stake in Japanese Company
5. 小野佳希 (2023-09-20). "サブスク映像配信「Paramount＋」日本上陸。12/1提供開始". PHILE WEB. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
6. "｢BS松竹東急｣の｢J:COM BS｣へのチャンネル名変更と放送継続のお知らせ". BS松竹東急株式会社. 2025-06-18. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
7. J:COMメディアセンター J:COM チャンネル(コミュニティチャンネル) 放送統合送出センター

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)