Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Anime series have emerged as massive hits for the American streaming platform and have resonated globally. 'Sakamoto Days,' which is about a retired legendary hitman, was on Netflix's global top 10 list for weeks, and 'Baki Hanma' and 'Pokemon Concierge' were also popular on the service.
'Anime is no longer niche. It's mainstream,' Netflix said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that more than half of its global users watch anime.
'Anime is a uniquely powerful medium. It's emotional, bold, and boundless in its imagination. At Netflix, we're committed to giving this genre the global stage it deserves. That means partnering with Japan's best creators, investing across formats, and helping every title — from exclusive new IP to beloved legacy series — find and grow its following,' it said.
In 2024, anime was viewed over 1 billion times on Netflix, with viewer numbers tripling over the past five years, according to the streamer. It offers dubbed audio and subtitles in up to 33 languages in a bid to broaden viewership. Around 80% to 90% of its subscribers watch dubbed anime.
Netflix's revenue grew 12.5% in the first quarter of 2025, according to the company, which hiked its prices at the start of the year. Strong programming has been credited as a driver of subscriber loyalty. The company forecast somewhere between $43.5 billion and $44.5 billion in sales for the year, up from $39 billion last year.
Fierce competitors such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video have also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogues.
Jennifer Salke, then-head of Amazon MGM Studios, told Variety in March that the company was committed to developing its anime offerings for Amazon Prime Video.
Similarly, Disney+'s Takuto Yawata, the company's head of Japanese animation, said in an interview last year that anime was entering a golden age and netting a global audience for the streamer.
But at present, Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for viewers of anime. A recently released 2025 Dentsu report on the global anime market put it ahead of its competitors.
Some 48% of 8,600 consumers across 10 countries chose Netflix to subscribe for anime content, followed by 32% for Disney+ and 29% for Amazon Prime Video, the report said.
Interest in Japanese culture is one of the drivers behind this viewership boom, along with fatigue of Hollywood intellectual properties, according to the Dentsu research, which found that viewers in Asia represented the highest numbers.
Three in 10 global consumers watch anime at least once a week. Asia-Pacific is the region where anime is viewed the most, but even in the U.S., 1 in 3 consumers watch anime weekly, the report said.
Additionally, megahit shows such as Netflix's 'One Piece' series don't simply translate to subscriber satisfaction, they offer valuable treasure troves of IP, increasingly harnessed by companies from Uniqlo to Lego .
Dentsu research found that anime watchers were more likely to buy related merchandise than other viewers.
'A significant share of viewers say that their opinion of a brand improves when anime IP is incorporated in products and promotions,' the Dentsu report said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Japan voices strong concern over Chinese military and rare earth moves
Japan's top diplomat used a meeting with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of a regional summit in Malaysia on Thursday to lay out a laundry list of concerns with Beijing — including dangerous intercepts by its military and its export controls on crucial rare earth elements. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related gatherings in Kuala Lumpur to voice Tokyo's 'strong concerns' about the flurry of security and economic issues, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Highlighting Tokyo's rising security concerns, the 45-minute talks came just ahead of an announcement by Japan's Defense Ministry of what it said were two 'unusual approaches' by Chinese fighter jets near Air Self-Defense Force surveillance aircraft that 'risked accidental collisions' over the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday. At the meeting, Iwaya pressed Wang over last month's territorial airspace violation by a China Coast Guard helicopter around the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as well as the ramped-up activities of its two operational aircraft carrier activities in the Western Pacific. The foreign minister also pointed to the deteriorating security situation in the East and South China Seas, while highlighting the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, saying that large-scale military exercises around Taiwan are 'incompatible with this' — an apparent criticism of China's increasingly common drills around the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to unify with the mainland. Iwaya also said he had 'strongly urged' Wang to expedite the approval process for export licenses of rare earths and magnets, saying the controls were having a 'severe' impact on Japanese firms. Japanese imports of the elements, which are essential for making a number of advanced products, have reportedly fallen to the lowest level in five years following Beijing's imposition of trade restrictions in response to U.S. tariffs. According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Wang assured Iwaya that China can meet the normal rare earth demands of Japanese companies 'as long as the relevant regulations are observed and the necessary procedures are followed.' The detention of Japanese nationals in China also featured in the talks, with Iwaya calling for their early release and describing the issue as 'one of the biggest factors impeding people-to-people exchanges and the improvement of national sentiment' between the neighboring countries. Japan's top diplomat is one of dozens of foreign ministers, both from Southeast Asia and the region's top partners, who have convened in Kuala Lumpur for two-days of gatherings that end Friday. Besides speaking with Wang on Thursday, Iwaya also attended a Japan-ASEAN meeting in which he highlighted Southeast Asia's growing economic and security role at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions. 'The international community is at a historic turning point, with regional and international situations becoming increasingly severe and uncertain,' Iwaya said. 'ASEAN is the linchpin in realizing a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and the world's growth center,' he added. 'Its role is becoming increasingly important for peace and prosperity throughout the region.' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) poses for photos with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro at a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. | POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI But as the region grapples with uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's new trade tariff announcements, Iwaya also called for 'maintaining and strengthening a free, fair and open international economic order' based on rules and with the World Trade Organization system at its core. Iwaya also held talks with several other counterparts, including a trilateral meeting with Theresa P. Lazaro of the Philippines and U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio, who is on his first trip to Asia since assuming his current role. Rubio looked to defuse growing concerns that the United States under Trump remains aloof and distracted when it comes to the interests of Southeast Asia and the larger Indo-Pacific region, telling gathered ministers Thursday that it 'remains a focal point of U.S. foreign policy.' 'When I hear in the news that perhaps the United States ... might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say distraction is impossible, because it is our view — our strong view and the reality — that this century and the next — the story of the next 50 years will largely be written here in this region,' he said. 'It is impossible to ignore it, to sideline it, and we have no intention of doing so,' he added. Rubio also held highly anticipated talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the pair discussing a Ukraine peace deal, as well as the situation in Iran and Syria, according to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. Global and regional concerns have taken center stage in almost all ASEAN-related gatherings as the 10-member bloc's unity and ability to ease tensions is being put to the test over not only the intensifying civil war in Myanmar and the border clash between Cambodia and Thailand but also over the ongoing maritime disputes between Manila and Beijing. In a separate gathering with Iwaya, Wang and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoonjoo, Malaysia's top diplomat, Mohamad Hasan, emphasized the seriousness of growing trade and security issues facing Southeast Asia. 'The region is facing a storm — what might be called the perfect storm,' he said, explaining that the challenges are multifold, ranging from intensifying great power rivalry, economic fragmentation to technological disruptions and transboundary threats. 'Unilateralism and nationalism are on the rise, marginalizing multilateralism that is essential for a stable world order,' he added. Talks on these issues, however, had largely been overshadowed by Washington's announcements of new trade tariffs on the summit's host and other U.S. regional partners and allies, raising doubts about its commitment to the region. The reaction from the summit was prompt and unequivocal, with this year's ASEAN chairman, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, slamming the tariffs on Wednesday as tools being wielded to 'pressure, isolate and contain.' 'Tariffs, export restrictions and investment barriers have now become the sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry,' Anwar said. 'This is no passing storm,' he added. 'It is the new weather of our time.' Despite efforts by some to offer concessions, Trump on Monday announced hefty levies of between 25% and 40% on six Southeast Asian countries, as well as 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea. Among ASEAN nations, only Vietnam has so far secured a deal, which lowers the levy from an initial 46% initial to 20%.
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Parasol rental service begins at major train stations in Tokyo
A new parasol rental service has begun at major train stations in Tokyo to offer people a way to shade themselves from the scorching summer sunshine. The company offering the service also runs an umbrella-sharing business it started in a bid to help reduce the number of plastic umbrellas that are discarded. The all-weather foldable parasols were introduced in a ceremony at JR Yurakucho Station in central Tokyo on Thursday. Users can rent one by scanning an app on their smartphones. After use, the parasol can be returned at any of the rental locations. The company has set up about 150 rental sites across the metropolis, with a total of 3,000 parasols available. The cost is about one dollar for a 24-hour period or nearly 2 dollars for a monthly flat fee. Marukawa Shoji, the head of Nature Innovation Group, which operates the service, says while men may be hesitant to buy a parasol, he hopes they will make their "parasol debut" with the rental service.
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Major Japanese drinks maker eyes Australia expansion
The CEO of Japanese beverage giant Suntory Holdings says there is room to grow in Australia. And two companies in the Suntory group have opened a manufacturing facility and are bringing its popular canned "chuhai" spirits to the country. While alcohol consumption is declining worldwide due to growing health consciousness, canned "chuhai" spirits have become increasingly popular. Young people especially are attracted to their relatively low alcohol content and diverse fruit flavors. Suntory Holdings CEO Niinami Takeshi expressed belief that there is still untapped space in the canned alcoholic beverages market. He said "Sales of drinks like canned 'chuhai' spirits and canned whisky soda are greatly increasing, so we decided to develop this market in Australia." Niinami cites Australia's growing population and a GDP per capita about twice that of Japan as reasons for the moves. He said "This market is so dynamic, and we should be more engaging with this market so that we can increase our presence in Oceania." Other major Japanese beverage manufacturers are also tapping into Australia. The country's beer market in 2023 was dominated by companies under two Japanese breweries.
