Japan Animation Leaders Unite for YouTube Initiative
Toei Animation, Kodansha and other anime content providers have banded together to start a channel on YouTube. The goal is to have 30 companies providing 3,000 anime titles by 2022, with the number of views per month reaching 300 million.
Called Animelog, or Anilog, the channel was launched Friday by Analyzelog, a company that supports corporate digital strategies. The target audience for the channel is currently local, but there are also plans to add sub-titled content in English and Chinese for overseas fans.
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Content at launch includes: the “Black Jack” series, based on a famous Osama Tezuka manga, and which was aired in the 2000s by Yomiuri TV; and “Future Boy Conan,” a 1978 anime co-directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and produced by Nippon Animation.
Several Japanese companies such as Kadokawa (publishing) and Toei Animation (anime production) now operate their own anime channels on YouTube. But the partners argue that, by joining forces, they can grow their audience, and advertising revenues, more quickly than they could individually.
According to the Association of Japanese Animations’ survey for 2019, the industry enjoyed record growth for the sixth straight year, with earnings totalling $20 billion. Streaming grew 10%.
“There exists a problem of illegal video distribution service these days, but “AnimeLog” will distribute only officially-licensed animations and operate as a safe channel that families can enjoy together,” said Analyzelog in a statement.
Analyzelog was formed in 2018 with seed capital backing from U.S. venture investor “Next10 Ventures” and its founder Benjamin Grubbs. It has since struck numerous business and investment alliances with companies including Toei Animation (December 2019), Shogakukan (April 2020), and last month with animation studio Shin Ei Animation (“Doraemon,” “Crayon Shin Chan”).
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