The Anime Market in 2024
Veröffentlich am von RocketsSnorlaxThis article aims to provide a – naturally incomplete – overview of the most important companies in the anime business in 2023 and selected companies that have recently left the field.
AB Video (Mediawan Thematics)AB Groupe brought countless anime to French television in the 1990s and has even been operating its own television channel for anime since 1996. Today, the portfolio still includes individual classics and large parts of the “Saint Seiya” and “Dragon Ball” universes. Although the publisher did not release an anime disc in 2023, the second half of the classic “Dragon Ball” is expected in 2024.
Adult Source MediaIn business since 2004, the publisher has been focusing exclusively on adult content, from which some early DVDs also had German and French subtitles. Although the publisher regularly releases new DVDs and Blu-rays, including many best-of compilations that mix scenes from different titles, it has apparently not licensed any new titles for more than ten years. In August 2022, the company acquired the adult publisher Critical Mass Video, which previously belonged to Right Stuf, along with all its stock.
Animation Digital NetworkLaunched in 2013 as Anime Digital Network, the French streaming service is probably Crunchyroll’s biggest competitor there. The streaming service was originally operated by the parent companies of Kana Home Video and Kazé, although Kazé withdrew from the project in the summer of 2022. Today, the portal works with various other French and even German publishers.
A German beta of the streaming service has also been online since the beginning of December 2023.
AnimEigoThe publisher, which considers itself the inventor of fansubs, has been in existence since 1988 and has only released around one new title per year since around 2013, mostly films or OVAs. It relies on the Kickstarter platform for this. The Kickstarter campaign for “Macross II”, the publisher’s first 4K UHD release thanks to corresponding support, was launched on 16 December 2023.
With “Bubblegum Crisis”, the publisher also released a Blu-ray with German subtitles years ago.
Anime HouseThe Cologne-based publisher has been releasing anime DVDs since 2003 and later Blu-rays. It was the first German publisher to stop releasing DVDs in 2022 and now only releases new titles on Blu-ray. The now-defunct erotic label Pink Lemon was also part of the publisher. The publisher’s best-known series is probably “DanMachi”.
In addition to season 4 of “DanMachi”, the publisher also released “Cross Ange”, “Dramatical Murder”, and “Gingitsune” on disc in 2023. 
Anime Limited
Founded in 2011, the Scottish publisher is the market leader for anime films in the UK and also publishes series, primarily classics, focusing on collector’s editions. Regarding the number of releases, the publisher is currently the market leader in France and is expanding into the USA. The publisher’s largest franchise is “Mobile Suit Gundam”. Anime Limited is also the first publisher in the world (including Japan) to publish anime series on UHD (“Future Boy Conan”, “Nadia”). Another mainstay of the publisher is the release of soundtracks, including titles from other publishers, on CD and vinyl. Since autumn 2022, the publisher has belonged to Plaion and, thus, to the KSM family.
In 2023, the publisher released new Blu-rays for around 30 anime titles in the UK and around 25 in France. The first official US Blu-ray was released in January 2024.
Anime Onegai
The Latin American streaming service, which was only launched in October 2020, has now expanded its portfolio to around 100 titles, the vast majority of which were not previously available in Latin America. Most titles are already several years old, while simulcasts are a rare exception. The provider has also had dubs produced in Latin American Spanish for almost all titles, from children’s series to (censored) hentai. AniMoon Publishing
Launched in 2016, the German publisher has released over 50 anime seasons and several films on DVD and Blu-ray, always focussing on limited collector’s editions. The programme focuses on popular titles that have not yet had an official German release. However, the publisher also licences current series. Probably the publisher’s best-known series is “KonoSuba”.
In 2023, the publisher launched the Blu-ray release of 13 different series or seasons. Aniplex of America
Founded in 2005 and active on the DVD and Blu-ray market since 2011, the publisher almost exclusively releases titles from Aniplex Japan, including top-rated series such as “Demon Slayer” and “Sword Art Online”. Nevertheless, the publisher only released five new Blu-ray titles in 2023. Almost all of the publisher’s Blu-rays are priced in the premium price segment, although some do not feature English dubbing.
In 2023, the publisher released “Engage Kiss”, “Lycoris Recoil”, “Sword Art Online: Progressive” 1 & 2, as well as “Kaguya-sama” seasons 2, 3 and “First Kiss” on Blu-ray. Ascendent Animation
Founded in New York in 2020, the publisher specialises in short series with a total running time of between 5 and around 60 minutes. Many titles are adults only, and some still have mosaic censorship.
In 2023, the publisher released four hentai on Blu-ray.
Bilibili
The Chinese streaming giant is one of the most important financial backers in the anime production sector, even though it “only” streams Japanese anime in China and Southeast Asia. However, many Chinese Donghua are also available in America and Europe via YouTube and the streaming service’s English website. Black Box Editions
The French publisher entered the anime business in 2010 and has published more than 200 titles since entering the manga business in 2013. In August 2022, the publisher made its withdrawal from the DVD & Blu-ray business known but announced to make an exception for season 3 of “DanMachi” in the near future.
Coalise Estudio
Launched in 2018, the publisher surprised with the licensing of “Cells at Work!” and “Fire Force”, later followed by “Atelier Escha & Logy” and season 1 of “Spice & Wolf” (also released on disc, except for “Fire Force”) as well as several lesser-known titles.
The in-house streaming service went offline “temporarily” in April 2023. The publisher has been rather quiet, although it has recently emphasised that it will continue to be active and work with other streaming services. 
Crunchyroll
Founded in 2007 and now part of the Sony Group, the company is not only the undisputed market leader in the anime streaming sector but is also active in the disc sector. It is the largest anime disc publisher in the USA, as well as in Germany. In Australia, the publisher even has a monopoly-like position for anime discs with a market share of well over 90%. Crunchyroll is also one of the largest companies on the disc market in the UK and France. Crunchyroll also includes Funimation, Kazé Germany & France, Manga Entertainment (UK) and the Madman Anime Division, which have already been renamed Crunchyroll, as well as Nozomi Entertainment, which is still active under its old name. The same applies to the now discontinued service Wakanim and the provider Right Stuf, which was converted into the US Crunchyroll store in October 2023.
The publisher is also active in the manga business in Germany and France.
Crunchyroll has released around 55 anime Blu-rays for the first time in Germany and the USA, 15 in France, around 30 in the UK and around 70 in Australia. In Australia, the publisher has taken over Madman’s monopoly position in the anime disc business. Discotek Media
Founded in 2005, the US publisher has developed into the specialist for retro anime par excellence over the years but also releases individual new titles and new spin-offs of old franchises from time to time. The publisher relies on simple packaging but tries to pack as many extras as possible onto the discs and pays particular attention to picture quality. It was also the first US publisher specialising in anime to release anime films in 4K UHD format. The publisher also releases live-action films from Japan somewhat less frequently. In contrast to other American publishers, Discotek only produces its own dubs in exceptional cases but often adopts old existing dubbing.
Discotek Media released around 50 anime on Blu-ray for the first time in 2023, including ten in SD-on-Blu-ray format. Disney
The media group with the world-famous Mouse is also active in the anime business (and owned the US rights to the Ghibli catalogue for several years) and even produces its own anime spin-offs of established franchises such as “Stitch!”. Nevertheless, the focus has long been on titles for young audiences and TV broadcasts - the service now also offers series for older audiences on its streaming service. Unfortunately not always on time … Dybex
The Belgian publisher Dybex has the same roots as the Italian publisher Dynit and the Spanish publisher Selecta Vision. While the publisher focuses on the French-speaking market, it was also active on the German market in the DVD era - and still holds individual licences (or sub-licences to German publishers) today.
In 2023, the publisher released “Neon Genesis Evangelion” in France, a “City Hunter” movie collection and, more than seven years after the announcement, “Yu Yu Hakusho” on Blu-ray. Dynit
The Italian publisher Dynit is known beyond the borders of its home country for the outstanding picture quality of many of its releases. Its 2023 Blu-ray releases include “Bleach” and “Hunter × Hunter”, but also around ten other high-calibre series. The publisher has also had the missing 319 (!) episodes of “Gintama” dubbed for streaming services this year alone. In November, it also secured the rights to “Dragon Ball” and “Dragon Ball Z”. Dynit is also active in the Italian manga market. Eleven Arts
The US publisher has been in the anime licensing business itself since 2018 and had previously organised cinema distribution for other companies. Unlike other publishers, it only publishes anime films, not series. The publisher has not been announcing any new titles since the release of “Blue Thermal” and “Deemo” in March 2023. Euroz00m
Founded in 1997, the French publisher has been involved in the theatrical release of numerous films and now also releases anime films on disc. In 2023, this included “Goodbye, Don Glees!” and “Detective Conan” film 26. The publisher is also active outside of the anime segment. FilmConfect Anime
Present in the German anime business since 2011, it is one of the smaller publishers. At times, it had a close partnership with the video portals Myvideo and Clipfish. Since 2020, some releases have also included Italian and French language options but are not available in regular stores there. Funimation
The American publisher was founded in 1994 to bring “Dragon Ball” to the USA. The publisher then achieved its big breakthrough with “Dragon Ball Z” . By 2008, at the latest, Funimation had become the undisputed market leader in the US anime DVD market and, shortly afterwards, also in the Blu-ray business. The provider was also well positioned in the streaming segment early on but limited itself to the USA and Canada. The provider also used its own dubbing studios for simulcasts from 2014. It was not until April 2016 that the streaming service expanded its availability to the UK and Ireland and, a year later, to Australia and New Zealand. From September 2016 to November 2018, Funimation and Crunchyroll worked together strategically for the first time, primarily with the aim of Crunchyroll exploiting the VOSTFR (= subtitled only) versions and Funimation exploiting the English dubbed versions and home video rights. Funimation was acquired by Sony in 2017 and took over the British publisher Manga Entertainment Ltd. in 2019. In 2020, the provider expanded its offering to Latin America, producing Spanish and Portuguese dubbed and subtitled versions.
Most recently, there was also a partnership with Wakanim, which brought series licensed by Funimation to Germany, France and Scandinavia as well.
Although Funimation itself was renamed Crunchyroll following the takeover of Crunchyroll at the beginning of 2022, the streaming service is still online. Large parts of the catalogue are now also online at Crunchyroll, but there are still simulcasts & simuldubs on Funimation’s streaming service, albeit only of sequels to old titles (parallel to the release on Crunchyroll). The streaming service is scheduled to be switched off on 2 April. Guerrilla Kids International Distribution Syndicate
Founded in 2008, the US publisher was able to secure the rights to numerous Ghibli films in 2011 and has continued to expand its portfolio since then. In addition to the usual Blu-ray and DVD releases, the publisher brings several films, including older ones, to American cinemas.
In 2023, GKIDS released “Giovanni’s Island”, “Inu-oh”, “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” and the final “Rebuild of Evangelion” film on Blu-ray for the first time, the latter also as a 4K UHD edition. Hanabee Entertainment
Founded in 2012, the Australian anime publisher has now published over 100 anime and has become number 2 on the Australian market but is tiny compared to Madman. The publisher’s website has been offline since summer 2023. Hidive
Launched in 2017, the streaming service is the semi-official successor to the streaming service Anime Network, which was originally founded by ADV Films. Almost all licences for the streaming service come from the publishers Sentai and Maiden Japan, which meant that a large part of the portfolio was only available in the USA and Canada, while many titles were also available in other English and Spanish-speaking countries. Only a few titles were also available outside English- & Spanish-speaking countries. Since December 2023, the service has officially only been available in the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia. IDP
The publisher IDP has been in the anime business since the VHS era and operates the probably largest online shop for anime and manga in France. It released its last DVD in 2019 and its only Blu-ray in 2015.
Its subsidiaries include Hana (formerly known as Boy’s Love), the hentai publisher Hot Manga and the manga publisher Meian. Hot Manga’s streaming service, announced in 2016, is still scheduled to go online “soon”. However, IDP also sells products in its store of other publishers (like Black Box Editions & Dybex) it works closely with. Jonu
The Spanish publisher has had a chequered past. It now has its own streaming service, for which selected series have also been dubbed. The publisher also releases selected series and films on DVD & Blu-ray, but generally only (still) in its own shop (and limited to 500 copies for collector’s editions).
Current licences include “KonoSuba”, “Monster”, and “The Dangers in My Heart”, for example. Kana Home Video
The Belgian & French publisher Kana Home Video is closely linked to the manga publisher of the same name and the Animation Digital Network streaming service. While other publishers in France have long dispensed with French dubbing for some of their releases, all of Kana’s releases were bilingual until the beginning of 2019. Since then, the publisher has only released selected titles in VOSTFR (= subtitled only).
While many publishers in other countries are now gradually saying goodbye to DVD (or have already done so), Kana has cancelled the Blu-ray releases of “One Piece” and “Boruto” in 2022 (both series will continue to be released on DVD) and has completely abandoned the Blu-ray format, at least for the time being. In addition, the publisher has not announced any more releases since summer 2022 (apart from follow-up volumes).
The publisher’s best-known series are “One Piece”, “Naruto”, “Fairy Tail” and “Hunter × Hunter”. The partner Microids Records also publishes vinyl editions of numerous anime soundtracks. Partner Microids Records also publishes vinyl editions of numerous anime soundtracks. Hardball Films
The German publisher, which only launched in 2021, has so far focused on series that already have a German dubbing and is releasing them on Blu-ray for the first time. In 2023, these were “Azumanga Daioh” and “D. Gray-man”; the next title, “Gurren Lagann”, is already being delivered. KSM Anime
In 2007, New KSM released anime series from the RTL2 catalogue on DVD for the first time, at that time only with German dubbing. The specialised label KSM Anime was only created in 2014 and has quickly worked its way up. In 2023, the anime publisher released around 15 anime on Blu-ray for the first time.
Since July 2020, in addition to the disc business, KSM has also been involved in the streaming business with Aniverse, where it also releases titles from other publishers. Leonine Anime
Once UFA Anime, later Universum Anime and now on the market as Leonine Anime since the beginning of 2020, the publisher has always placed a greater focus on anime films than on series. The former includes almost the entire Studio Ghibli catalogue. In 2023, the publisher released the final “Rebuild of Evangelion” film, “Goodbye Don Glees” and “Made in Abyss” season 2 on Blu-ray and gave “Ghost in the Shell 2” a UHD upgrade. Madman Entertainment
Founded in 1996, the Australian publisher established a dominant position in Australia through intensive collaboration with various American publishers, ultimately even becoming a monopoly. The Anime Division, which was initially acquired by Aniplex in 2019, was renamed Crunchyroll in 2022. Madman Entertainment itself continues to act as a distributor and is also active outside of anime. Maiden Japan
Maiden Japan was founded in 2010 as one of the unofficial successors to ADV Films and, compared to Sentai, focussed on slightly older or lesser-known titles. While the website is already offline and the publisher has not launched any new releases in 2022 and 2023, at least one re-release of an out-of-print licence is planned for March 2024. Manga Entertainment Ltd.
The British anime publisher has had a long and very chequered history, beginning in the early 1990s and including numerous European spin-offs in the VHS era. But also some mistakes and crises. In the spring of 2019, the provider was taken over by Sony and placed under Funimation, which gave the publisher access to numerous other licences. In 2022, the name Manga Entertainment Ltd. disappeared completely, and the business continued as Crunchyroll Ltd. Manga Entertainment LLC
The American spin-off, founded in 1994, also controlled the fortunes of the British original for a time during the DVD era. The two companies finally parted ways in 2014, with the US offshoot remaining almost dormant since then and only appearing in connection with “Ghost in the Shell”. The US spin-off is owned by the Lionsgate Group. Media Blasters
Founded in 1997, the US publisher also publishes hentai (Kitty Media) and live-action titles (Tokyo Shock) in addition to anime and was also active in the manga business until 2009.
In 2023, the publisher released around 15 hentai Blu-rays (some with several titles) in addition to “Tweeny Witches”, “White Cross Glow”, “Magical Witch Punie-chan”, and “Final Examination Kujira”. MVM
The smallest British publisher has now been active for more than 20 years. In the last two years, the publisher has mainly published anime from the Gonzo studio and sub-licences from the US publisher Sentai. As a result, the publisher has (almost) no streaming licences. In 2023, the publisher released new Blu-rays of twelve anime.
The publisher also owns the retailer Anime-on-Line, which sells products from all British anime publishers. Naban aNiMé
Launched in 2019, the French manga publisher also released two anime films on disc for the first time in November 2023: “Violence Jack” and the first “Lupin III” movie (also in 4K). Netflix
Launched in the USA at the end of the 90s as a mail-order DVD rental service, Netflix has also been active as a streaming service since 2007. The streaming service only made it to Europe in 2014 and is now active almost worldwide. Right from the start in Europe, Netflix also offered selected titles exclusively here, initially only with subtitles, and since the end of 2015, also with its own dubbing. Almost everywhere in the world, Netflix offers a mix of in-house productions and exclusive titles, as well as sub-licences from other companies. Nipponart
Launched in 2003 as a pure online shop, the company became involved as a publisher a few years later. It not only acted as Dybex’s German partner but also took over titles from publishers who had left the anime DVD business and thus became a specialist for classics. Later, the publisher also began to bring new series to Germany, although some of them were not dubbed in German. The publisher’s last new disc was released in September 2020; the publisher is currently still advertising the release of “Tsugumomo 2”, planned for 2023. NIS America
The American branch of Nippon Ichi Software is actually active in the video game sector but also began publishing anime in 2010. Since 2016, however, the provider has hardly been active in this area and only limits itself to occasional, slimmed-down new editions of previously published titles. Nozomi Entertainment
Right Stuf’s production department, which has existed since VHS times, became the publisher Nozomi Entertainment in 2007. The publishing focus is on niche series and classics, some of which have not only received exclusive collector’s editions via Kickstarter but also English dubbing. The publisher is currently working on the English Blu-ray (with dubbing or re-dubbing) of “Dirty Pair” and has also announced in summer 2022 “Macross 7”, “Macross Delta”, and “Macross Frontier”. As a partner of Sunrise, Nozomi was also responsible for most of the US Blu-rays of the Gundam universe. Peppermint Anime
Peppermint has been active in the anime business since 2012, and the current publisher, Peppermint Anime, is a joint venture co-founded by Aniplex. Peppermint was the first German publisher to enter the simulcast business in April 2013. The publisher’s best-known licence is probably “Sword Art Online”, but the company was also recently able to secure several German licences from the portfolio of US publisher Sentai. In 2023, the publisher released around 15 anime on Blu-ray for the first time.
The publisher is currently operating its own streaming platform again with Akiba Pass TV, albeit without a subscription model. It also sublicenses to other platforms such as ADN or Aniverse and handles localisation for TV broadcasters.
Periscoop Anime
The Dutch publisher has been in the anime business since 2017, organising almost all cinema releases and has now also released several anime films on DVD and Blu-ray. Most of them also have English subtitles. On 17 November, Periscoop founded the streaming service goanime.nl, which is currently still in a trial phase. Plaion
KSM’s parent company is also active as a publisher in Italy. It largely limits itself to anime films there and shows these in cinemas. However, the publisher was recently able to secure a major series licence with “Dragon Ball Super”. Polyband Anime
The publisher, which is also based in Munich, was already active in the anime business during the VHS era but then withdrew from the sector for several years. In 2012, the publisher released “D. Gray-man” on DVD, followed by “Soul Eater” in 2013. However, the publisher has only been regularly releasing anime since 2018, with the most important licence covering large parts of the “Pokémon” universe.
In 2023, the publisher brought “Future Boy Conan” to Germany following a Kickstarter campaign. Selecta Vision
The publisher has the same roots as Dynit and Dybex and today dominates the Spanish anime market. The portfolio includes most of the classics that are important in Spain, many current anime films and also some current series. Since last year, the publisher has been operating its own streaming platform, Anime Box.
The publisher dubs its series in Spanish and films mostly in Catalan as well. It is also active to a small extent in the live-action sector. Sentai
Founded in 2008 by ADV Films boss John Ledford, the publisher is regarded as his unofficial successor and has released around 30 anime on Blu-ray for the first time in 2023. While the more popular titles receive an English dub, others have to do without - although the publisher has already dubbed titles for re-release. Before the merger of Crunchyroll and Funimation, Sentai had also worked with Crunchyroll on many occasions, both in the disc and streaming sectors.
Like many smaller US publishers, Sentai has already completely abandoned DVD in favour of Blu-ray. The publisher also releases high-priced collector’s editions of selected titles several times a year, but often only many months after the corresponding standard edition. Incidentally, Sentai also occasionally acts as a licensor for other overseas publishers. Tanuko
The French publisher, launched in 2023, focuses on high-quality collector’s editions and multilingual subtitles (including English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian) and released its first anime Blu-ray in December 2023 with the “Golgo 13” cinema film. Unusually, the publisher has dispensed with the existing dubbed versions. Trimax
Active since 1998, Trimax is the only hentai publisher still active on the German market. Every year, it releases a handful of uncensored DVDs and now also Blu-rays in its own shop, while regular retailers generally only release very heavily censored DVDs of older titles. VIZ Media
The then newly founded publisher entered the manga business in 1987 and, after initial failures, paved the way for manga by labelling them as graphic novels and thus marketing them outside the comic book trade. Today, VIZ is the largest manga publisher in the USA, partly because it is owned by the Japanese publishers Shueisha and Shogakukan.
The publisher also entered the anime business around 1993 and has remained loyal to it to this day. Although VIZ itself only licences completely new anime series relatively rarely, it owns the rights to “Naruto”, “Sailor Moon”, “Death Note”, “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”, “Pokémon”, “InuYasha”, “Bleach”, “Ranma 1/2” and almost all sequels and other spin-offs.
VIZ no longer has its own streaming service but licences its series to third-party companies. VIZ is the only relevant US anime publisher to release selected titles not only on Blu-ray but also individually on DVD, in some cases even exclusively for the “Pokémon” franchise. Yamato Video
Yamato Video has also been in the business since VHS times and is currently operating on a dual track: its prime video channel, Anime Generation (since December 2021), releases simulcasts, express dubs and titles from its extensive catalogue of classics while also releasing many classics such as the “Lupin III” franchise or, for the first time in 2023, “Naruto” on disc. Its own TV channel, on the other hand, is history. A curiosity: the publisher itself releases endless series not only in box sets but also in individual weekly DVD volumes (e.g. 32 for Naruto) via magazine distribution.
Who is missing?
I have primarily excluded companies from the list whose anime portfolio is quite small compared to the rest of the catalogue. But also providers that are only active in the Asian region.
Which general trends can be identified?
Even if there are individual publishers who largely or completely stay out of the streaming business, this has long been the decisive factor for some of the largest business players.
As a result, even anime that have already been fully dubbed - even outside of Netflix - often no longer receive a disc release in the respective countries. In some cases, this is now also affecting titles that have a large fanbase and/or have achieved impressive cinema attendance figures.
In the UK, in particular, it is also clear that the licensing business has a strong influence on which titles are released: while Crunchyroll and Netflix only release a relatively small selection on disc, other publishers also release absolutely niche titles where profitability remains questionable. In some cases, these are also the first (and only) releases outside Japan.
Another special feature of the UK market is “copied” discs: quite a few releases are based on the US or Australian discs and, in some cases, still include the trailers and logos of the publishers there.
One speciality of the German market, on the other hand, is individual volumes, which are otherwise only available in Italy (and there only on DVD) - while in other countries, series are almost only released in complete editions or with at least 12 episodes per box.
Percentage of 2023 Blu-ray releases without dubbing: 22 % 13 % 29,5 % < 1 %
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