Anime Monopolies Are a Terrible Thing, And the Industry Is Now Ready to Fight the Streaming Trend

In the golden age of streaming, anime’s global popularity has skyrocketed, but behind the scenes, tension is mounting because a small group of powerful platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll have transformed into gatekeepers, locking highly-anticipated titles behind exclusive paywalls. For fans, that often means juggling multiple subscriptions just to keep up. But for Japanese studios and rights holders, the real problem is deeper: exclusivity is limiting reach, obscuring valuable sales data, and weakening their grip on international markets.