MLB names Shimon Hoizumi as Managing Director/Japan

Longtime Japanese sports media executive Shimon Hoizumi has been named Managing Director/Japan at MLB. Hoizumi will oversee business operations in Japan, while leading in-market efforts in expanding fan engagement, media partnerships, sponsorships, consumer products, events and grassroots baseball initiative.

Previously, Hoizumi held media executive positions as VP/Rights at DAZN Japan, head of GOLFTV Japan at Warner Bros. Discovery and commercial director of WWE Japan. His expertise in the Japanese media market should be a valuable asset as the league looks toward its next step of media deals.

Led by Dodgers P/DH Shohei Ohtani, as well as other Japanese stars, MLB viewership and interest in the country has skyrocketed. Seven-game viewership during the 2025 World Series averaged 9.7 million viewers. Meanwhile, Netflix paid around $100M to secure exclusive Japanese broadcast rights for the 2026 WBC. MLB’s international TV rights expire at the end of the 2028 season, the same time as the league’s national rights.