The Problem With Netflix Anime Data

Welcome to Anime by the Numbers!

Welcome to the first edition of Anime by the Numbers, a weekly newsletter covering the ins and outs of the overseas anime and manga business!

The last few months have seen quite a few claims that Netflix has a dominant position in anime globally, but I think the numbers suggest anything but. We’ll get into that soon, but first…

- Miles Atherton, White Box Entertainment Founder & CEO

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Chart of the Week

The sub vs. dub debate is a contentious and never-ending battle in the overseas anime community. In English-speaking territories, dub viewership is trending upwards, and in the past year, half of all produced anime received an English dub. While some otaku claim watching in Japanese with subtitles is closer to the “original work,” it’s clear that fans who watch dubs are averaging more time spent watching anime overall. And fun fact: fans who strongly prefer dubs spend the MOST time watching anime! But why is this the case?

• Dubs allow for multitasking and “second screen” behaviors, something our data shows fans love to do with anime. While the animation and visual component of anime is definitely a draw (pun intended) for viewers, fans want to be able to eat, work out, play games, and more while watching anime.

• Dubs enable easier “social viewing,” aka viewing with friends, families, partners and others both in the room with them and in virtual watch parties.

• Fans who watch a lot of anime at once by binging older shows, or catching up on past seasons or episodes of a current show, are usually watching dubs.

The bottom line: For producers, if you release a title overseas with only subtitles, you’ll miss out on a significant portion of super-watcher viewers.

But who’s the real winner of the sub vs. dub debate? At White Box, we love both, because there are great performances and production on both sides!

- Chloe Catoya, White Box Entertainment Director of Research

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Entertainment At Large

Amazon’s Jennifer Salke and Kelly Day Spotlight Japan Strategy and Asian Content Expansion: ‘We Have a Big Commitment to an Anime Slate’ (Variety)

Despite only airing 2 anime in the winter 2025 simulcast season overseas, Amazon is asserting that anime and “Asian” media will be key for their future global strategy. It’ll be interesting to see whether they will continue to focus their upcoming anime slate on the Japanese market only, where Amazon is already a strong leader, and if live action anime and manga adaptations, J-dramas, and K-dramas will make their way overseas. - Chloe C.

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The Anime Business Documentary Series Releases 1st Episode with Central Park Media Founder John O’Donnell (Anime Trending)

The Anime Business by Justin Sevakis at distributor AnimEigo might be my personal favorite project in the anime space right now. I've only just started this, but I'm already delighted for what this podcast will bring! - Miles A.

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Ones to Watch

READ: I See You, Aizawa-san!

If you're not paying attention, you're lulled into thinking it's just a wholesome yuri romcom, but then BAM - it's actually a horror mystery. It’s been nominated for AnimeJapan’s 2025 “Manga We Want to See Animated” ranking for good reason! - Miguel M., Associate

WATCH: Tasokare Hotel

Mystery lovers have been eating well lately with the Apothecary Diaries (pun intended), so it’s been a delight to get another great female-led mystery with some real heart at the center this anime season. Set in a hotel at the “twilight” between life and death, Neko must unravel the mystery of her own death, while helping hotel patrons do the same. I found episode 3 and 4 to be where the series really takes off. - Klaudia A., Associate

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Animanga 101: Isekai

One of the most frequently discussed dissatisfactions with the current state of anime in White Box’s recent focus groups is the proliferation of isekai.

Before the start of this newsletter, I wrote this behemoth of an analysis at Anime News Network on the genre. This is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever written, and I plan to capture that same spirit in this newsletter.

Whether you hate the genre, watch it occasionally, or are an avid fan, I hope it provides some context as to why it feels like isekai is inescapable, and why that’s not likely to change any time soon. - Miles A.

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The Problem With Netflix Anime Data

It was almost 10 years between the release of Netflix’s first tentpole original series, House of Cards, and the streaming giant’s first release of viewership data across its entire catalog. While the format in which Netflix provides this data is less than perfect, it’s certainly the best in the streaming world. It’s a marked improvement on the decade of datecdotes and Top 10 lists meant only to rally shareholders, or to mollify those begging for sequels to programming much less popular than social media volume would suggest.

Nowadays, Netflix provides weekly numbers for four of their five main categories of Top 10s (English film, non-English film, English TV, non-English TV, and kids). This level of detail means that we can approximate viewing habits (at least on a global level), nearly as well as during the days when Nielsen had a representative sample of U.S. household behavior.

But with all this information comes challenges. If Netflix really is the global leader in anime viewership, as some have claimed, what does their data actually say about the medium’s popularity?