Audiences Flocking To Anime On Netflix At 10 Times The Rate Of Other Genres, Report Reveals — SkimNews
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- Netflix anime viewing rose from 3.33 billion hours in H1 2023 to 4.64 billion hours in H1 2024, a 39% increase versus just 4.5% for total Netflix viewing — growth at nearly 10 times the platform's overall rate
- Anime's share of all Netflix hours climbed from 3.6% to 4.75% over the same period, based on data pulled from Netflix's bi-annual "What We Watched" reports
- MPA's Anime Economy report found anime has the highest monthly reach of any genre on Asian streaming, with 31–47% of premium VoD users across eight markets watching anime in a given month compared to a 26–34% average for seven other main genres
- Japan's anime market is now a "two-horse race" between Netflix and Prime Video, each holding more than 40% of overall anime viewing, while Netflix carries half of all anime across eight Asian markets
- YouTube reaches 70 million monthly anime viewers in Japan, per the MPA report, adding a third major platform competing for the genre's audience
- Global anime spend is projected to rise roughly 10% per year through 2030 led by Asia (excluding Japan) and North America, with growth concentrating among Sony, Aniplex, TOHO and Toei Animation — Sony having built the only "end-to-end anime stack" across Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Sony Pictures and Sony Music
Why it matters: Anime now commands nearly 5% of all Netflix viewing hours and the highest monthly reach of any genre on Asian streaming, establishing Netflix and Prime Video as a duopoly over Japan's anime market. MPA projects global anime spend to grow 10% annually through 2030, but the report frames the next 24 months as decisive for whether global platforms or Japanese IP groups like Sony, Aniplex, TOHO and Toei Animation will own production financing.
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