Viewn
Viewn Corp. is a Tokyo-based SoftBank Group subsidiary operating a Japanese digital reading subscription platform (Book Hodai) with 800+ magazines, 600+ travel guides, and 65,000+ manga titles, serving individual consumers at ¥550/month and enterprise buyers across property management, ISPs, retail/hospitality, and corporate welfare segments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Viewn does
Viewn Corp. (株式会社ビューン) is a Japanese digital content subscription platform founded in March 2010 and operating as a consolidated subsidiary of SoftBank Group. The company's core product, Book Hodai (ブック放題), offers individual subscribers unlimited access to 800+ magazines, 600+ travel guides, and 65,000+ manga volumes for ¥550 per month (tax included), with a first-month free trial, delivered through iOS and Android applications and a web platform. Beyond direct-to-consumer subscriptions, Viewn operates multiple enterprise-facing sub-brands: Viewn Hodai Mansion targets apartment building owners and property managers as a vacancy-prevention amenity bundled with building internet; Viewn Hodai Spot+ delivers location-authenticated (QR/GPS) reading access for waiting customers at retail, hospitality, and transportation venues; Viewn@ integrates with LINE official accounts for corporate welfare and member benefits; and Viewn for Biz offers employee perk packages to corporate buyers.
The underlying platform is characterized by two technical differentiators: IP-address-based authentication that enables residential access without individual login, and QR-code plus GPS location authentication for venue-based spot access. Distribution combines self-serve app-store channels (with SoftBank carrier-billing and Yahoo! Japan Wallet payment options) for consumers, and direct enterprise sales plus an ISP reseller network — including Fiber Gate, FamilyNet Japan, Linect, Ai Connect, Future Net, Lequios, Giga Prize, Kids-Way, and Cloud Reach — for B2B scale. Through this network, the service has reached an installed base of approximately 6,000 apartment locations and 150,000 residential units nationwide.
Revenue is generated via three recurring streams: individual consumer subscriptions, per-unit enterprise contracts with property managers and ISPs, and corporate welfare/perquisite arrangements (including partnerships with Benefit One and Bridgestone Labor Union, plus e-Gift distribution through giftee). Marquee enterprise customers include SoftBank Corporation, Hokkaido Airport (New Chitose Airport), and Fiber Gate ISP, with named cases spanning telecommunications, airport operations, real estate management, and labor unions. The company operates from a single Tokyo headquarters (Tokyo Shiodome Building, Minato-ku), and as of the most recent input the leadership consists of President and Representative Director Kazutaka Hasumi (蓮實一隆), who has held the role since founding.
Viewn firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Viewn
- Legal name
- 株式会社ビューン
- Website
- https://viewn.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Viewn Corp. is a Tokyo-based SoftBank Group subsidiary operating a Japanese digital reading subscription platform (Book Hodai) with 800+ magazines, 600+ travel guides, and 65,000+ manga titles, serving individual consumers at ¥550/month and enterprise buyers across property management, ISPs, retail/hospitality, and corporate welfare segments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Viewn is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Viewn business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Individual Subscription (ブックロイド): Monthly subscription service offering unlimited access to 800+ magazines, 600+ travel guides, and 65,000+ manga volumes. First month free trial, then ¥550/month (tax included). Recurring monthly revenue from individual consumers.
- Enterprise B2B Services: Property management companies, ISPs, and businesses pay per-unit or per-property fees for resident/customer access. Services include unlimited access across all subscriber households. No refunds for mid-contract termination.
- Corporate Welfare/Perquisite Services: Customized subscription bundles offered through corporate benefit programs and LINE official account integrations for employee perks and customer loyalty programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual subscription (ブックロイド) - first month free, then monthly |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise pricing for property management - per unit pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
Viewn product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Viewn operates a subscription-based digital content delivery platform that provides unlimited access to 800+ magazines, 600+ travel guides, and 65,000+ manga volumes via smartphone applications and web browsers. The service is offered both to individual consumers (B2C) through a monthly subscription and to enterprises (B2B) such as property management companies, ISPs, retail/hospitality venues, and corporations through per-unit/per-property contracts. The platform uses IP-address authentication for residential access and QR code/GPS authentication for venue-based access.
Product overview
Viewn operates a platform-plus-modules product architecture centered on its core ビューン (Viewn) e-book and magazine subscription service, which provides mobile-based access to digital reading content. The main offering is supplemented by ビューン＠ (Viewn at), a LINE-integrated membership benefit module that delivers loyalty rewards and exclusive content through LINE Login authentication. For corporate clients, ビューン for Biz extends the platform as an employee benefit solution. The company historically served physical-location spot access and tablet kiosk reading environments as additional delivery channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ビューン咨询热线マンション: 賃貸マンション・アパートの入居者向け電子書籍読み放題サービス
- ビューン咨询热线スポット＋
- ビューン＠
- ビューン咨询热线
Products and services
- ブック放題 (Book Hodai)
- ビューン for Biz (Viewn for Business)
- ビューン＠ (Viewn at)
- ビューン読み放題スポット＋ (Viewn Spot+)
- ビューン (Viewn)
- e-Gift Subscription (Electronic Gift)
Quantifiable outcome
- 全国6,000拠点・15万戸の導入 (6,000 properties, 150,000 residential units deployed nationwide)
Companies that use Viewn
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Viewn technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
Viewn partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- giftee Inc. (株式会社グレイト)minorPartnership for e-Gift (electronic gift) distribution of ブックロイド subscription service through giftee and giftee for Business platforms. Allows gift-giving of magazine and manga reading subscriptions.
- Benefit One (ベネフィット・ワン)core提供 of ブックロイド special one-year preferential plan through Benefit One corporate welfare service platform. Employees of partner companies can access discounted subscription.
- LINE Corporation (ライン株式会社)coreTechnology partnership enabling LINE login integration and LINE official account functionality for ビューン＠ member benefit service. LINE authentication used for user verification and LINE messaging for customer engagement.
- FamilyNet Japan (株式会社ファミリーネットジーアンドシー)coreISP partner distributing ビューン reading service to apartment residents. Service bundled with internet service as resident amenity.
- Fiber Gate Inc. (株式会社ファイバーゲート)coreMajor ISP partner deploying service since 2017 across approximately 130,000 apartment units. Used as differentiation tool for property owner contracts.
- Linect (株式会社リネクト)minorISP partner for apartment building internet services distributing Viewn reading service to residents.
- Ai Connect (株式会社Ai.Connect)minorISP partner providing Viewn reading service as part of apartment internet package.
- Future Net (株式会社未来ネット)minorISP partner for Nagoya region distributing Viewn service to apartment buildings.
- Lequios (株式会社レキオス)minorISP partner distributing Viewn reading service to apartment residents in Okinawa region.
- Giga Prize (株式会社ギガプライズ)minorISP partner providing Viewn service to apartment building residents.
- Kids-Way (株式会社キッズウェイ)minorISP partner distributing Viewn reading service.
- Cloud Reach (クラウドリーチ株式会社)minorISP partner providing Viewn service to apartment residents.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Viewn competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ブックパス (BookPass): BookPass is KDDI/au's unlimited digital magazine and book subscription service for mobile and au subscribers. It directly competes with Viewn's ブック放題, with similar pricing and bundled carrier distribution.
- Kindle Unlimited (Amazon Japan): Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's global unlimited e-book subscription service, available in Japan across manga, magazines, and books. It competes with Viewn on breadth of digital reading content and price point for individual consumers.
- ebookjapan (Yahoo! JAPAN): ebookjapan, operated by Yahoo Japan (LY Corporation), is a digital e-book/manga store and subscription service in Japan. It overlaps with Viewn on manga distribution and consumer digital reading.
- 楽天マガジン (Rakuten Magazine): Rakuten Magazine offers unlimited digital magazine and manga reading via subscription, bundled into the Rakuten ecosystem. It competes head-to-head with Viewn on breadth of magazine titles and mobile-only consumption in Japan.
- LINEマンガ (LINE Manga): LINE Manga is LY Corporation's manga-focused digital reading platform with both free and paid tiers, deeply integrated with the LINE messaging ecosystem. It is a direct competitor to Viewn's manga catalog (65,000+ volumes), with similar LINE-based distribution mechanics.
- コミックシーモア (Comic C'more): Comic C'more is NTT Solmare's manga-focused digital reading and store platform with subscription tiers. It competes with Viewn in the manga reading segment and benefits from NTT group distribution.
- dマガジン (dMagazine): dマガジン is operated by NTT Docomo and offers unlimited digital magazine reading via mobile subscription in Japan. It is the closest direct competitor to Viewn's ブック放題, sharing the same target user (mobile-centric Japanese readers) and the same unlimited-magazine subscription model.
Broad incumbents
- U-NEXT: U-NEXT is a major Japanese SVOD/transactional video and digital reading platform with broad content including magazines. It overlaps with Viewn in the digital magazine and manga space but operates as a wider entertainment/reading platform.
Others
- giftee Inc. giftee operates e-gift and corporate gifting platforms in Japan; Viewn launched e-Gift distribution of ブック放題 through giftee in 2026. It is an enabling distribution partner rather than a direct competitor.
Regional players
- Benefit One: Benefit One is a major Japanese corporate welfare/employee benefits platform that distributes Viewn's ブック放題 as a partner. While not a direct product competitor, it is a key channel partner and adjacent welfare-services provider in the same Japanese market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Viewn social profiles
Digital presenceViewn financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Viewn leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Viewn funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Viewn M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Viewn
What does Viewn do?
Viewn operates a subscription-based digital content delivery platform that provides unlimited access to 800+ magazines, 600+ travel guides, and 65,000+ manga volumes via smartphone applications and web browsers. The service is offered both to individual consumers (B2C) through a monthly subscription and to enterprises (B2B) such as property management companies, ISPs, retail/hospitality venues, and corporations through per-unit/per-property contracts. The platform uses IP-address authentication for residential access and QR code/GPS authentication for venue-based access.
Is Viewn a public or private company?
Viewn is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Viewn founded?
Viewn was founded in 2010.
Where is Viewn based?
Viewn is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Viewn make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Subscription (ブックロイド) is the primary driver. The others are enterprise B2B Services and corporate Welfare/Perquisite Services.
Who are Viewn's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ブックパス (BookPass), Kindle Unlimited (Amazon Japan), ebookjapan (Yahoo! JAPAN), 楽天マガジン (Rakuten Magazine), LINEマンガ (LINE Manga), コミックシーモア (Comic C'more) and dマガジン (dMagazine). U-NEXT is listed as a broad incumbent. giftee Inc. is listed as an others. Benefit One is listed as a regional player.
Does Viewn have an API?
No public API is recorded for Viewn.