Wall Street includes a billionaire future for souls between Netflix and Crunchyroll, but not everyone celebrates this duo
Netflix and Crunchyroll domain in the international anime
According to the Berntein report, Netflix led the market with a 42%share, followed closely by Crunchyroll with 40%. The rest of the platforms (Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime and so on) that remain 18% are distributed. In total, The business of souls in streaming outside Japan has moved $ 3.7 billion in 2023And this figure should run in the coming years.
But why did these two giants manage to destroy like this? The key is that Everyone plays with different letters. NetflixWith its base of global subscribers, it dominates in the display time and has gained the love of the Z and Millennial generation. On the other hand, Crunchyroll It has a very active community (160 million users, according to its coo Ribbapragada trip), is directly involved in the production of souls and sweeps merchandising.
Cooperación the silent war?
Although at first glance it seems that they are lived, The truth is that both platforms have started to understandAnd it is increasingly common to share important titles. For example, Snail or Dragon Ball Daima They will be available in both Crunchyroll and Netflix. Also Witch watchone of the strong bets of the year, will be transmitted simultaneously Netflix, crunchyroll y hulu.
Yes really, The struggle for exclusive continues to exist. Netflix was recently made with the rights of Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King and the expected remake of One pieceThe titles that in the past were an exclusive territory of Crunchyroll.
Netflix wins in subscribers, but Crunchyroll leads to the products
One of the great advantages of Crunchyrol is that no only lives of streaming. The platform, owned by Sony, has generated more than $ 1.000 million in merchandising sales in 2023and actively participates in the production committees. This means that Not only emits souls, but also finances it and benefits from their rights.
A clear example of this is Solo levelone of the great revelations of the season. The series, produced with AniPlex, beat the records inside Crunchyroll, but also He spent 16 weeks in the Netflix top 10 in Japandemonstrating the double area of these collaborations.
A brilliant future … but with shadows
Despite the growth of the sector, Not everything is joy in the souls sector. Some creators raised their voice, underlining it The budget of the millionaire platform as Netflix do not always translate better conditions for workers. Terumi Nishii, director of animation, denounced in 2020 That money has not reached the production teamAnd more recently, the association of Japanese animations has accused Netflix of paying flat rates without the possibility of Royalties, as well as Hide the key data of the public.
Even the crunchyrol does not get rid of the disputes. The platform was criticized for Opacity in your sales figures And its anti-Udicated posture, in addition to the complaints of bandages like David Wald. In addition, some manufacturers showed their discomfort by the lengthening of periods of exclusivitywhich have passed since five to ten years, which seriously limits their possibilities to obtain benefits in other ways.
Where is the anime in streaming?
Even if the trend seems to move towards Shared agreements and simultaneous previewsThe truth is that The streaming giants are also pushing to keep all the rights of the seriesNot only those of the transmission. This could lead to a CONTENT SUBSCRIBUTION where manufacturers lose total control of their works.
In this context, the future of the anime will depend on the fact that these giants can balance their growth with fair treatment to creatorsOr if we end up an industry richer in content … but poorer for those who make it possible.