News Reporting

Anime Made Up 77% of All Japanese TV Exports in 2016


You know… that’s a pretty commanding demand, all considered.

On June 1, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released their “Analysis of the State of the Expansion of Broadcast Content Overseas” report for Fiscal 2016. The study reports that overseas exports of broadcast content rose to 39.35 billion yen ($358,126,909.80 USD), a jump of 36% year-over-year. Of these exports, anime made up 77.1% of total exports, and took home 84.2% of all revenue from broadcasting rights.

2016 Chart - Analysis of the State of the Expansion of Broadcast Content Overseas - Total Broadcast Breakdown

Overall exports of merchandising rights also saw an increase, rising 49% year-over-year, to 8.87 billion yen ($80,726,042.93 USD). The report cites strong performance in the overall reception of smartphone games tied to anime projects in China.

Overall broadcasting rights saw revenues jump by 28%, to 12.37 billion yen ($112,576,844.85 USD). Internet revenues increased again in 2016, seeing a 23% rise to 10.59 billion yen ($96,378,042.19 USD). DVD rights, meanwhile, plummeted again, dropping to just 0.9 billion yen ($8,190,768.46 USD).

The overall revenue percentage breakdown is as follows:

  • Merchandising Rights (32.7%)
  • Broadcast Rights (31.4%)
  • Streaming Rights (26.9%)
  • Remakes (5.3%)
  • Home Video Rights (2.3%)
  • Other (1.4%)

The regional breakdown for rights revenues is as follows:

  • Asia (58.7%)
  • North America (27.2%)
  • Europe (8%)
  • Other (4.6%)
  • Latin America (1.6%)

The “Analysis of the State of the Expansion of Broadcast Content Overseas” report is an annual summary of all exports of Japanese broadcast content. The data is collected via a questionnaire, which is sent to domestic broadcasters, as well as anime production companies that are part of the Japan Video Association.

Sources: Animation Business Journal, Soumo.go.jp

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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