US Anime Market 2024–2033

Reports Description

According to current market research conducted by the CMI Team, the US Anime Market is expected to record a CAGR of 11.5% from 2024 to 2033. In 2024, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 2,878.5 Million. By 2033, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 7,667.2 Million.

The U.S. anime market involves distributing, streaming, and viewing anime content in America. It encompasses television shows, movies, and video-on-demand. This market has been expanding rapidly owing to global services like Crunchyroll, Funimation and Netflix and the influx of new anime fans from varying backgrounds.

Other important components of this market are streaming, DVD/Blu-ray sales, theatrical distribution, and merchandising. Emerging trends like original content production, wide-ranging licensing, and the inclusion of anime into popular culture impact the market.

Merchandising is also a significant segment, and the scope of anime spans clothing, toys, home décor, gaming accessories, etc. Certain fans interactively cover popular series, which leads to increased sales in certain franchises and maximizes marketing for companies. The market is deeply interconnected with social networks and fan-created content, tracking awareness and promoting action. Places like anime expos and fan meetups help maintain enthusiasm and encourage participation in the community.

US Anime Market – Significant Growth Factors

The US Anime Market presents significant growth opportunities due to several factors:

• Streaming Services: Majorly streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Netflix have increased the opportunities for fans to access a large amount of anime, and in this way, they promote viewer engagement and market growth. Their worldwide accessibility and original content give individuals from different backgrounds opportunities to become subscribers, resulting in a powerful streaming environment that accounts for the brisk pace of growth.

• Original Content Production: Streaming media invests in unique anime productions and acquires exclusive content to lure new subscribers and keep loyalists excited. These services, in turn, develop a brand name for themselves by presenting fresh, high-quality content and also benefit from the growing demand for novelty and innovativeness.

• Merchandising: The sale of anime-themed products, including t-shirts, collectibles, and accessories, can increase the music industry’s revenue and create a more diverse market. Top series, responsible for merchandise sales, blend with brand collaborations and thus benefit from extensive promotions, bringing in casual fans and underlying collectors.

• Mainstream Acceptance: Progression of anime items demystifies the culture and subsequently benefits from collaboration with Western media. It also caters for the increasing number of viewers by engaging anime in the regular scene of entertainment. The increased publicity of anime from media crossovers and mainstream events lessens the stigma attached to it, thus increasing its accessibility and summoning a more diverse audience.

• Virtual and Augmented Reality: Developing VR and AR technologies for anime experiences will, in tandem, attract gadget lovers and will have an added advantage in fan involvement. These technologies offer consumers a new way to engage with the content actively. They also establish a channel for revenue generation and thus become a successful vehicle for enhancing fan loyalty.

US Anime Market – Key Developments

The US anime market has undergone a lot of changes in recent times. Always in an expansion mode, its efforts are to synergize market position with product offerings and profitability improvements. Some of the significant USA Anime Market mergers and acquisitions include:

• In 2023, Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. announced that their subsidiary is teaming up with Crocs to unleash limited-edition JUJUTSU KAISEN footwear inspired by this hit Shonen Jump manga. The collection consists of three never-before-seen shoe styles and themed Jibbitz charms.

• In 2022, AMC Networks will acquire Sentai Holdings, LLC. With strong roots in dubbing and licensing Asian cinema, a Japanese anime specialist like Sentai will be a great addition to the AMC family. The deal further bolsters the roster of premium content on services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Crunchyroll.

• In 2023, AMC Networks acquired Sentai Filmworks, enabling the company to extend its territories by enhancing content and product distribution. The acquisition also allowed Sentai to cater to a wider audience and streamline deliveries across various platforms, which boosted its market presence.

Such key developments have helped the companies expand their product offerings, improve their market presence, and capitalize on the growth opportunities in the US anime market. Market players are expected to use these developments to gain a competitive advantage in the market.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RELATED MARKET

US Anime Market – Significant Threats

The US Anime Market faces several significant threats that could impact its growth and profitability in the future. Some of these threats include:

• Market Saturation: The rapid growth of streaming platforms, along with the boost in anime content, may create a situation of market saturation. Such a situation can hamper the market’s growth, making it difficult for new and niche content to get noticed.

• Piracy: The illegal sale and streaming of anime content threatens the revenue of licensed distributors and streaming services and undermines the market’s profitability. This is a big problem for the market.

• Cultural Barriers: Cultural differences in preferences and sensitivities can limit some anime to the U.S. audience, affecting the performance of new releases and may result in market growth restrictions.

• Intellectual Property Issues: Disputes over intellectual property rights and licensing agreements can result in legal problems, disrupt content availability, and attract uncertainty for investors and distributors.

• Economic Fluctuations: Economic crises or transformations in consumer spending can affect entertainment discretionary spending, including anime subscriptions and merchandise, which may be the reason for revenue decline and market contraction.

Category-Wise Insights

By Type:

• T.V.: The term encompasses anime broadcasts on either cable or free television and includes anime segments on non-related programming. Conventional TV anime is fast dying out because of the excess popularity of online TV series. Still, niche markets are satisfied by anime channels and dedicated TV slots. However, there has been a rise in television networks partnering with online services to provide exclusive or simulcast services.

• Movie: These are all the animated motion pictures shown in cinemas. They are comprised of full-length cartoons and those that are shown for a limited time or on special occasions. Theatrical releases of animated features have increased due to the advent of limited-release windows and special event screenings. There has been a growing increase in the market due to the success of films like ‘Kimi no Na Wa’ and the Aid by large animation studios improved the market. Trends include an increase in the market for theatrical release and the takeover of anime films into existing documentary film primetime schedules.

• Internet Distribution: This is the concept of accessing animation videos online. Anime streaming services such as Crunchyroll, Funimation, and even Netflix, among others, are at the top of the market with a wide range of anime offerings and self-produced anime series. The expansion of the audience base and the increase of the overall market have come with introducing subscriptions and microscopically access, with the tendencies on exclusivity and international licensing content turning inwards.

• Merchandising: This refers to selling products that are generally favorable and closely associated with that, including attires, action figures, and other trinkets. Franchise merchandising largely generates revenue for most existent economy participators, especially those who engage in more successful franchisees. There are trends in working with designers and other fashion houses, bringing out limited clothing ranges and various products. Due to their popularity, E-commerce has also made selling a wider range of anime products much easier. Music: Songs, soundtracks, and singles associated with a character and his or her television program from the anime genre. This digital media includes off-air and online downloading and distribution of such music due to the existence of regimes and accompanying marketing policies. Trends include features of cross-cultural initiatives for the promotion of anime soundtracks. Music plays a key role in the anime business through prolonged fan interaction.

• Pachinko: Typically found in pachinko parlors, these themed gaming devices have a Japanese gambling apparatus. There have been trends in these machines where players enjoy the anime characters, which brings in money. An Emerging trend will be the scale of new anime-based vessels as they deploy to enhance the play experience. This segment remains a niche market in the us, yet it has its role in shaping the society about anime in other parts of the world.

• Live Entertainment: Live shows and activities based on anime content, such as exhibitions, performances, and fan meetings. Similarly, the number of splurge events characterized by activities such as drama speeches mimicking anime and their characters has significantly increased. Trends include higher volumes of fans attracting the best anime festivals, screenplays depicting the anime, and such experiences for fans. These activities help to foster and strengthen the community and encourage fans to purchase more goods and services.

• Others: Other segments include video games and mobile applications, mainly in Asia. The craze for anime-based video games and applications is booming, especially with the season’s release of favourite titles and their pairing with anime series. The usage of anime in gaming consoles and mobile applications makes the audiences active and helps them make profits in other ways.

By Genre

• Action & Adventure: Action & Adventure anime contains lots of riveting action and drama involving princess rescue missions, dangerous risks, and epic confrontations. It usually contains adventure, combat, and character development. In the U.S. market, action and adventure are very popular owing to their engaging and fast-paced story. Sometimes antagonistic tendencies help with integration with other media and provide more streaming opportunities, which helps to increase the rating and draw in more viewers, respectively.

• Sci-Fi & Fantasy: The realms of fantasy, drama, and Sci-Fi/Biography amalgamation of these generation methods draw upon Collins’s created worlds within the vast and sprawling comic book. This entertainment category frequently combines romance, some sci-fi elements, and grand narratives. This entertainment category is increasing in demand in the country because of the exceptional graphics and intricate details of the scope. The growth of original programs is constant, and increasing numbers of works combine the media, expand audiences, and address different categories of fans.

• Romance & Drama: In the Romance & Drama anime, emotional and relational elements are often intertwined. It involves portraying a story and character development in a more relatable manner. In the U.S. market, background images of that genre are becoming more common as they have been told more often than it used to and are more interesting content-wise. Social issues that encourage progress, such as the inclusion of this genre into original programming of streaming services and active use of social media and other means of communication with fans, are also very common.

• Sports: Sports anime focuses on competition through sports, including sporting activities, interpersonal relationships, and self-improvement. It mostly emphasizes games and the practice of preparing for them. In recent years, the consumption of sports anime in the US has increased. The market has increased the accumulation of appealing animation alongside captivating sports stories. Furthermore, extending the licensing and forming partnerships with sports companies is a recent trend.

• Others: The “Others” includes all the other miscellaneous anime genres such as mystery, horror, and slice-of-life. This anime presents different ways of telling the story and themes. This section is growing due to the people’s attitude, which is the craving for different offerings and niche content. Patterns and the changing marketplace: The increasing compass of genre-pushing shows and the growing reach of these shows through the web have made it possible to have great audience attendance and reception.

Report Scope

Competitive Landscape – US Anime Market

The US Anime Market is highly competitive, with many productions operating in the US. Some of the key players in the market include:

• Crunchyroll Inc.
• Funimation Global Group LLC
• Viz Media LLC
• Sentai Filmworks LLC
• Aniplex of America Inc.
• GKIDS Inc.
• Netflix Inc.
• Amazon Prime Video
• Hulu LLC
• Toei Animation Inc.
• Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
• Yen Press LLC
• Right Stuf Inc.
• Discotek Media
• Eleven Arts Inc.
• Others

These companies operate in the market through various strategies such as innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships.

New players like HiDive and RetroCrush have embraced new tactics by enhancing their services by offering curated streaming libraries and retro anime collections to appeal to specific market segments and stand out. Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Netflix have a large share of the US anime industry because they focus on developing original content, acquiring exclusive rights, and distributing worldwide. Their vast content, easy-to-use site, and signing contracts with major entertainment companies enable them to be the market leaders. At the same time, their continued success lies in identifying and fulfilling viewers’ changing needs.

The US Anime Market is segmented as follows:

By Type

• V.
• Movie
• Internet Distribution
• Merchandising
• Music
• Pachinko
• Live Entertainment
• Others

By Genre

• Action & Adventure
• Sci-Fi & Fantasy
• Romance & Drama
• Sports
• Others