When it comes to entertainment, trends come and go, but some industries find a way to plant roots and grow on the global stage. For years, K-pop was a cultural powerhouse outside the West that gained audiences thanks to its polished visuals, performances, and fan culture. However, according to recent data, anime has become a surprising contender and officially overtook K-pop.
Anime Was Always Bound to Surpass K-pop as the Top Media Investment Anime’s Diversity Ensures There’s Something for Everyone Close According to a recent Bloomsburg article, anime’s rise as the top global media investment outside the United States toppled K-pop and Latin Music. Unlike K-pop, anime relies on stories that involve universal themes such as friendship, identity, and resilience.
Sony, Netflix, and Amazon All Want to Take Part in the Anime Industry Sony Is an Anime Powerhouse, but Netflix and Amazon Are Slowly Closing In With its acquisition of Crunchyroll, Funimation, and recently Kadokawa, Sony has positioned itself as an anime streaming powerhouse. By combining those two platforms, Sony has control over the largest streaming service for anime and has dominance over the industry.
Posts 1 However, Netflix and Amazon have been aiming to take over part of the industry. Netflix began to invest more in creating original anime content, partnering with MAPPA and Wit Studio to make anime like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Castlevania, both of which became extremely popular shows. Amazon has taken its own steps within the industry with exclusives like Vinland Saga, animated by Wit Studio, which targets a niche yet loyal fanbase.