Japanese online newspaper Tokyo Keizai published an article describing streaming company Netflix's investment in the anime industry in Japan. The newspaper interviewed a number of workers who have participated with Netflix in creating original anime series for the platform, however, noted that both the names of the people and the companies they work for have been omitted as part of a privacy agreement.
A person who worked at an anime production company who, in turn, worked with Netflix, commented: “If the series is a success, it is a victory for Netflix. But if it's a failure, it's our victory (from the producer). " The reason for this is that, due to Netflix's license agreements, broadcast rights are purchased directly, so the producer does not receive royalties after payment, regardless of how many visits the series gets later.
Another problem, according to a member of the management of an advertising company, is that Netflix does not reveal the number of visitors to its partners. This makes negotiations to request an increase in payments in the next collaboration agreement very difficult. The director of one of the companies that participated in a renowned anime series (not disclosed for privacy reasons) commented: "At this rate, we could become a sub-contracting company serving Netflix."
The platform also deals first-hand with streaming issues, meaning there are many cases where the company that produced the series has trouble trying to sell the rights to produce derivative merchandise, video games, home-delivered delivery, and any other product. . This is a problem for an industry that, in fact, relies heavily on the distribution of derived merchandise as a complementary form of income. The management of a production company complained that "because the number of people who watch anime via streaming is limited, any series hardly becomes a success." A source from a different company commented: "It would have been quite difficult for Kimetsu no Yaiba to become the success that it is now if it had been distributed only via streaming."
However, other sources pointed to positive aspects of Netflix's involvement in the anime industry, most notably connecting creators with artists and talents from around the world, and the high rates involved in streaming deals. According to an advertising firm, "A major series can even leave a profit of between 50 and 70 million yen per episode."
On the other hand, there are some who fear that it may be a big mistake to trust Netflix when there is no guarantee that the company will continue to take an interest in the anime industry in the future. “The quality of productions from abroad, such as those from China and South Korea, is improving enormously. If they equal our quality, then Netflix will also be interested in reaching agreements with them, "said an industry worker.
For now, however, Netflix's relationship with the anime industry is only getting stronger. In February, the company announced a collaboration agreement with the CLAMP group, the creators Shin Kibayashi, Yasuo Ohtagaki and Mari Yamazaki, the novelist and director Otsuichi, and the novelist Tow Ubukata, for the development of animation projects that will be broadcast around the world.
