Prime Video, known for hits like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Reacher, is now setting its sights on anime to draw in a new base of subscribers. In a recent interview with Variety, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and Kelly Day, VP of international for Prime Video, revealed plans to expand their anime catalog.
Japan is a key territory for Prime Video, and the company is committed to increasing its anime offerings. Day highlighted the success of titles like The Silent Service and Oshi-no-ko on the platform, while Salke teased an exciting slate of upcoming anime projects, saying, “We have a big commitment to an anime slate that we’re pulling together… It’s an ongoing commitment.”
One advantage of licensing anime is that many titles have already been tested with audiences through manga, making it easier to identify successful franchises. Fans are often supportive of both animated and live-action adaptations of their favorite stories, a strategy that has worked well for other streaming services.
Netflix, for example, saw significant success with the horror/sci-fi anime DanDaDan, which accumulated almost 100 million hours watched in three months, outperforming popular series like Dragon Ball and Jujutsu Kaisen. Other platforms like Crunchyroll and Hulu have also built their strategies around anime, with Crunchyroll focusing solely on anime and Hulu adding both classic and original series.
While Prime Video has yet to officially announce its upcoming anime slate, the company’s commitment to this growing genre signals an exciting future for fans of Japanese animation.
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