The state of the anime industry in 2018
The document stated that anime distribution via streaming platforms outperformed physical distribution in Japan for the first time since Internet distribution began 16 years ago. The streaming distribution raised 59.5 billion yen (about $ 561 million), an increase of 10.2% over last year. For its part, physical distribution raised 58.7 billion yen (about 553 million dollars), a decrease of 23.3% over the previous year, marking its fifth consecutive year presenting a drop in earnings. The report noted that fans spend less on purchasing physical deliveries due to the greater availability of the other alternatives and the diversification of consumption patterns.
On the other hand, the total number of animation minutes produced for television in 2018 reached 130,808 minutes, the second highest value in all of history, and an increase of 12.9% compared to the previous year. The report stated that the production of animation minutes for video-on-demand platforms, such as Netflix, were not included in the count, but that if they were, the amount would have exceeded the 2006 value of 136,407 minutes.
At the same time, the year 2018 observed a decrease in the number of anime broadcast on television. The industry produced a total of 332 anime series in 2018, down from 340 in 2017 and 356 in 2016. Of those 332 anime in 2018, 235 were new productions, an increase from 230 in 2017; while 97 were "continuing" series, a decrease from the 110 in 2017. Again, the series of video-on-demand platforms were not considered in the count. The report highlighted that the broadcast of series aimed at children and family audiences has decreased and, on the contrary, the series broadcast at night for adult audiences have increased.
On the other hand, total box office revenue for all 2018 movies reached 42.6 billion yen (about $ 402 million). The industry produced 74 animated films in 2018, a decrease from the 84 produced in 2017. Although the number of films has been increasing in 2008, it has actually been gradually decreasing since 2015. Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer was the film. with the highest collection in 2018, with 9.18 billion yen (about 87 million dollars).
For its part, the anime market was valued at 2.1814 trillion yen (about 19.9 billion dollars) in 2018, an increase of 0.9% compared to its valuation the previous year. The industry has been growing since the last nine years, reaching a new record for the sixth consecutive year.
Both the local and foreign markets experienced slight growth in 2018. The anime market in Japan grew for the first time since 2014. For its part, the foreign market exceeded one trillion yen (about 9.14 billion dollars) by First time, although growth in this market has, in fact, slowed in recent years.
Live events also experienced a growth of 23.1% in 2018. On the other hand, the market for distribution rights decreased by 4.4%. Finally, it should be noted that the Japanese Animation Association has presented these annual reports since 2009, when the anime industry was in crisis. The full report is available at this link.
Source: AJA
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Author's Note: The original information reveals the data in billions, however, it should be understood that this definition of "trillion" is being expressed in Anglo-Saxon form. By definition, the "Anglo-Saxon trillion" equals one billion in the International System of Units.
