Anime is accelerating on Netflix at a pace far ahead of the streamer’s broader viewing growth, according to a new report from Media Partners Asia.
MPA’s The Anime Economy report found that viewing of Japanese anime on Netflix climbed from 3.33 billion hours in the first half of 2023 to 4.64 billion hours in the first half of this year. That marks a 39% increase, compared with 4.5% growth for total Netflix viewing over the same period — meaning anime viewing rose at nearly 10 times the rate of the platform overall.
The genre’s share of Netflix viewing also expanded, moving from 3.6% to 4.75% of all Netflix hours. MPA based those figures on Netflix’s bi-annual What We Watched reports.
The findings underline how anime has become a major streaming category for Netflix, which has built out a slate that includes titles such as Blue Eye Samurai, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and the upcoming Bass X Machina, alongside its live-action adaptation of One Piece.
The report also points to anime’s broader move into the mainstream through major streaming platforms. The genre was among the major talking points at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, according to the source material.
Asia Remains Central To Anime’s Streaming Growth
MPA’s report describes anime as particularly strong across Asian streaming markets. According to the report, anime has the highest monthly reach of any genre on Asian streaming services, with 31% to 47% of premium VoD users across eight markets watching anime in any given month. That compares with an average of 26% to 34% for the seven other main genres tracked.
Netflix is also a major anime player in the region. MPA said the streamer now carries half of the region’s anime across eight Asian markets. In Japan, the report characterizes the anime streaming landscape as a “two-horse race” between Netflix and Prime Video, with both services holding more than 40% of overall anime.
YouTube is also a significant anime destination, with the report saying the platform reaches 70 million monthly viewers in Japan.
Spending Expected To Rise Through 2030
Looking ahead, MPA expects global anime spending to increase by around 10% per year through 2030. The report says that growth will be led by Asia, excluding Japan, and North America, and will be concentrated among a smaller group of franchise owners, studio groups and platforms.
The report also frames the next phase of the anime business as a question of control and financing. MPA said the next 24 months will determine how new anime funding is split between global platforms and Japanese IP groups, pointing to Aniplex, Sony, TOHO and Toei Animation as key players.
Sony, according to the report, has built the only “end-to-end anime stack” across Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Sony Pictures and Sony Music.
“Anime’s scale is established; the question is where the next growth comes from and who captures it,” said MPA CEO Vivek Couto. “The catalysts are streaming pushing deeper into new markets globally, theatrical events on the scale of Infinity Castle becoming repeatable, and games and merchandise carrying franchises well beyond the screen. The direction is toward ownership: platforms financing production directly, Japanese IP groups buying studios, and the two learning to work together.”
For Netflix, the report’s numbers show anime becoming a larger share of viewing even as the platform’s total hours grow more modestly. For the wider entertainment business, MPA’s findings suggest the category is no longer just a niche streaming play, but a global content economy increasingly shaped by platform investment, Japanese IP ownership and franchise expansion beyond the screen.