Netflix has been trying a lot of different things in the last couple of years. The streaming platform has showcased live streaming of football matches, golf, and even multiplayer gaming. As of now, it seems like Netflix has its eyes on the anime market. Recently, Netflix has seen an influx of local content, and because of that, it has been able to ward off a lot of the competition in the Southeast Asia Market. especially Korean and Chinese dramas. But the focus is slowly shifting towards anime.
Local content contributes significantly to acquiring subscribers. Therefore, it is natural that Netflix would try to snuff out competition. The APAC region, including East Asia, South Asia, and Oceania, is a major center for anime consumption. But if we look into the number of subscribers, the region accounts for merely 17% of Netflix. Back in 2023, Netflix had nine titles under its own banner to lure in subscribers. However, the community still inclines towards .
Netflix viewership dedicated to anime amassed a whopping 3 billion hours. There is a high chance that Netflix rides on to the trend. Titles like Jujutsu Käisen had topped in regions of India; no wonder the anime-inspired titles of Netflix saw significant growth. Japanese and Korean dramas had been dominating the platforms charts, but Netflix has reduced the number of K dramas in the past few months, while the anime remains as is. Perhaps this will help Netflix get a better grip in the new markets like Taiwan and Thailand.
The platform is strategizing to diversify the content beyond the usual Kdrama, yet it has been playing safe as of now. As anime is not an uncharted territory for the platform.