Bandai Namco tops anime market as streaming and licensing intensify

Bandai Namco Holdings led global anime sales in 2024 with a 14% share, according to The Business Research Company, as the market stays moderately fragmented and competition shifts toward streaming, licensing, and franchise expansion. The report points to joint ventures, AI-assisted production, and global localization as the main strategies shaping growth.

Why it matters: - The anime market is becoming more competitive as studios, streamers, and merchandising companies race to control franchises that can earn across video, games, consumer products, and live events. - Growth now depends on more than hit shows. Companies need licensing power, international distribution, and cross-media storytelling to capture long-term revenue. - The market’s moderate fragmentation gives leading players room to gain share, but it also keeps creative and distribution barriers high.

What happened: - The Business Research Company said Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. led global anime sales in 2024 with a 14% market share. - The report said the top 10 players accounted for 20% of total market revenue in 2024. - The report identified Netflix, Toei Animation, Crunchyroll, Kodansha, Sanrio, Production I.G, J.C.Staff, Kyoto Animation and Pierrot as notable market holders. - The company published the market update from London on June 17, 2026. - The report also promoted a free sample request and a detailed market report.

The details: - Bandai Namco’s entertainment and animation division spans anime production, licensing, gaming integration, merchandise distribution, and multimedia franchise development. - The report said the anime market draws on global entertainment conglomerates, animation production studios, streaming operators, and merchandising companies. - Major raw material suppliers include Wacom, CELSYS, Adobe, Autodesk, Toon Boom Animation, XP-PEN, Huion, Epson, Dell, NVIDIA, Intel, Apple, Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Lenovo, Corel, and Logitech. - Major wholesalers and distributors include Crunchyroll, VIZ Media, Sentai Holdings, GKIDS, Anime Limited, Toei Animation, Hulu, HIDIVE, Right Stuf, Madman Entertainment, Muse Communication, Aniplex, Shochiku, Pony Canyon, Bandai Namco Filmworks, Discotek Media, and Manga Entertainment. - Major end users include Netflix, Amazon, Bandai Namco, Kodansha, Sanrio, Production I.G, J.C.Staff, Kyoto Animation, Pierrot, MADHOUSE, Studio Ghibli, Bones, Wit Studio, Good Smile Company, Tatsunoko Production, A-1 Pictures, Studio Deen, Progressive Animation, Gainax, Atomic Flare, MAPPA, and Kadokawa. - The report said anime production joint ventures are reshaping the market by speeding original content development and global distribution. - In March 2025, Crunchyroll LLC and Aniplex Inc. launched HAYATE Inc. to create and distribute anime content for global audiences.

Between the lines: - The report points to a market strategy built around owning intellectual property and stretching it across streaming, gaming, and merchandise. - AI-assisted animation workflows are emerging as a way to improve production speed and scale, while multilingual localization is becoming central to international growth. - Content partnerships appear to matter as much as standalone studio output, especially for companies trying to reach audiences outside Japan. - The concentration figures suggest no single company controls the category, but the biggest players still have an edge through distribution and franchise networks.

What's next: - The report expects international anime streaming, franchise-based expansion, mobile gaming collaborations, and character merchandising to keep pushing competition. - It also points to strategic licensing agreements and expansion into emerging markets as likely growth drivers. - The Business Research Company said its 2026 reports add market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrices, Excel dashboards, hotspots infographics, and updated graphics and tables.

The bottom line: - Anime is shifting from a content business to a franchise platform, and the winners are likely to be the companies that can pair creative output with global distribution and merchandising scale.