BSJapanext Sponsors 9th M-League Team

On May 26, 2023, M-League and BSJapanext announced in parallel news releases the creation of a new M-League team owned by BSJapanext.

The team’s name and logo will be announced in a BSJapanext special broadcast on May 31, 2023. The team social media account will also be created on this date.

It was also announced that the team will be hosting a competition to decide one of the four players on the team. On May 26 at 13:00 JST, the team released a website accepting applications and detailing the process of this competition. Prospective players must submit a 1-minute video of themselves and some information about themselves. On May 31, the player will receive a phone call on live TV saying that they have been chosen for the top 8. These top 8 will then play a series of games (with the last games being on June 17), with the overall winner being chosen for the draft.

BSJapanext is a subsidiary of Japanet Broadcasting Co., Ltd created in March 2022 specializing in satellite broadcasting. The company broadcasts various programs, such as quiz and travel shows, as well as the only free broadcast of the PGA Tour in Japan.

The CEO of Japanet Broadcasting Co., Ltd, Satou Takamitsu, said that the increasing popularity of mahjong and their desire to broadcast mahjong programs were some of the reasons why they chose to join M-League.

This is the newest team to join M-League since the Kadokawa Sakura Knights were created in the 2019-20 season.

More information will be added to this article as it becomes available.