Netflix Inc. announced on late Tuesday a multi-year deal with Japan’s Studio Colorido. The move came as the American tech company ramps up its anime offering and looks to extend growth for Asia.
The world’s leading streaming giant will co-producing three feature films with the animation studio.
This partnership includes the creation of “Drifting Home”, which premieres in September. The movie will also premiere in cinemas domestically.
Anime has marked strength for Netflix in Japan and across the globe. Accordingly, 90.00% of the users on the platform watched the genre and half tuned in last year. At the same time, rivals Amazon and Disney race to offer such content.
Studio Colorido stated that they must exert efforts locally first for the content to win globally. The firm’s president said that Netflix offers access to a broader audience than the traditionally targeted by the studio.
Subsequently, the Asia-Pacific region was the lone bright spot in Netflix’s first-quarter earnings. The streaming titan said it further forecasted positive growth in the area. This optimistic projection includes Japan, where it reported 5.00 million users in September 2020.
The company’s other areas significantly reported a loss of subscribers, the first time in more than a decade.
The Japanese studio favors stories where characters face an unbelievable turn from their ordinary lives. For instance, it released the movie Penguin Highway in 2018. The film narrates a story of an elementary schoolboy who investigates the sudden appearance of penguins in his town.
Correspondingly, this family-friendly fare fits with Netflix’s strategy of expanding its content offerings in Tokyo.
The deal includes the launching of some 40 original anime titles. In addition, the streaming platform will also offer scripted dramas such as First Love and unscripted series like Last One Standing.
Netflix ramps up investment in Japan’s content
Furthermore, Netflix has also struck deals with domestic broadcasters, which notably have been slow to embrace streaming.
The platform will include content like the long-running variety show Old Enough! from Nippon TV.
The program depicts very young children running errands for the first time while being filmed by production staff. This segment has generated buzz online worldwide.
Last month, Netflix unveiled that its partnership with six top anime creators will start bearing fruit. Subsequently, the platform will launch the debut of
Thermet Romae Novea, followed by the family-oriented feature film Bubble.
Eventually, users will have access to exclusive original series set in the world of Legendary Pictures’ Kong and Godzilla later this year.
The high profile nature of these partnerships proves that Netflix remains firmly committed to original anime content. Consequently, the firm has invested considerably in the production pipeline over the past several years.
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