Netflix revealed to panel audience members at Anime Expo that more than 50% of its members now watch anime, amounting to over 150 million estimated households, or 300 million viewers, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Anime viewership was also said to have tripled over the last five years.
Alongside the reveal, Netflix showcased its current and upcoming anime titles, like Sakamoto Days, Beastars: Final Season Part 2, Dan Da Dan Season 2, Record of Ragnarok Season 3, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, and more. You can check out Netflix’s anime and games promo video released for Anime Expo below. It’s unclear what threshold Netflix uses to categorize an anime viewer.
Netflix has continued to acquire some of the most highly anticipated anime adaptations of the last couple of years. Many would argue that the crown jewel of its efforts is the One Piece remake, which few would bet against being a hit following the massive success of the live-action and the franchise’s recognition generally.
Securing fellow Shonen Jump titles like Sakamoto Days, Dan Da Dan, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, and legacy franchises like Pokémon and Sailor Moon, all while shoring up its library with some of the most acclaimed anime—often sublicensing from rival Crunchyroll—continues to prove successful for the streamer. A recent Dentsu survey revealed that Netflix was the most popular streaming service for anime across the U.S., EMEA, and APAC.
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While Crunchyroll didn’t rank in the top 3 and placed 10th in the United States in Dentsu’s survey, senior staff like president Rahul Purini have regularly said that Netflix’s ability to spread anime much further ultimately advertises Crunchyroll, with power viewers eventually opting for the latter’s far larger library. The asset management firm Bernstein estimates that revenue is equally split between Netflix and Crunchyroll at 42% and 40%, respectively.
To counter Netflix’s ubiquitousness, Crunchyroll has focused on rolling out FAST channels and add-ons on different operating systems and apps and bundling with phone contracts. As it sublicenses to other platforms, examples like Amazon Prime Video have been happy to indirectly let users know that many of their offerings originate from Crunchyroll as the orange streamer tries to increase its brand recognition.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Featured image © Yuto Suzuki/SHUEISHA, SAKAMOTO DAYS PROJECT © Saka Mikami / Kodansha / The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Production Committee
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