Netflix’s focus on anime has been beneficial to the streaming service almost everywhere, but the Japanese anime industry itself resists its model.
Netflix’s recent focus on producing anime series has paid off in almost every country where the service is available, but has been less successful in the anime’s home country of Japan.
Netflix’s worldwide popularity owes much to the international appeal of its programming, as reported Information. Japanese anime on Netflix has become a hit with subscribers in the Americas, and the audience for anime shows doubled in the US over the past year. However, viewers in Japan have been less receptive to watching these shows on Netflix, which has been recorded by only about 13% of broadband-equipped Japanese households.
The main cause of this appears to be a difference in cultural norms of television viewing. Broadcast television is still more popular than streaming in Japan, and anime studios are more likely to maintain their loyalty to traditional broadcasters than to switch to streaming services. Therefore, anime fans will still find their favorites on television without needing to subscribe to Netflix.
Other leading streaming services like Disney + and Amazon Prime Video continue to engage in streaming wars with original content, but when it comes to anime, Netflix is now also competing with Sony’s established services from Crunchyroll and Funimation. Although Crunchyroll’s subscription numbers are negligible compared to Netflix’s, it has the advantage of amassing serious anime fans since its launch in 2007.
Crunchyroll and Funimation also release new episodes on a weekly schedule, rather than dropping an entire season at a time like Netflix’s model. This method is preferred by anime studios, as anticipation can increase demand for manga and related merchandise.
Fountain: Information
About the Author
Reference-www.cbr.com
