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.

Now, companies like Toho are speaking out and reshaping their global distribution strategies, according to Financial Times. Keiji Ota, Toho’s Chief of Anime, has publicly criticized the monopolistic practices of streaming platforms, making it clear that Japan’s anime industry no longer wants to surrender control of its global audience. Backed by shifting business models and strategic acquisitions, anime studios are pivoting away from platform exclusivity and toward a more open, competitive, and transparent future.

The Trouble with Exclusivity in Anime

The Hidden Costs of Anime Gatekeeping

The core of the issue lies in how streaming services handle anime licensing. For years, companies like Netflix and Crunchyroll have offered large upfront payments to secure exclusive rights to series. This “master license” model was initially attractive to Japanese studios, offering quick revenue without the complexity of tracking regional performance. However, the limitations of this model are becoming painfully clear. When a show is locked to one service, it is only visible to subscribers of that platform, cutting off potential fans and stifling broader cultural impact.

Toho’s Keiji Ota has been especially vocal about this problem. In recent interviews, he explained that exclusivity hinders a show’s ability to spread globally, confining it to the walled garden of a single streaming platform. This not only hurts visibility but also makes it difficult for studios to measure true international demand. Without access to viewership and merchandise data by region, companies like Toho can’t fine-tune their global strategies or fully understand what fans actually want. In an era where anime is more global than ever, this lack of transparency is unacceptable.

Adding to the frustration is the way some platforms handle royalties. Netflix, for example, often pays flat fees instead of sharing revenue based on actual viewership. While this simplifies ing for Netflix, it prevents rights holders from auditing sales or gauging their titles’ success abroad. Crunchyroll does offer revenue-sharing models more frequently, but even they have faced criticism for a lack of marketing and opaque data practices. The bottom line: when anime is locked behind exclusivity, both creators and fans lose.

Japan Strikes Back with New Strategies

From ive Licensing to Active Strategy

Faced with these limitations, Japanese studios are fighting back, not through confrontation, but by taking greater control of their global distribution. Toho, for instance, has shifted away from blanket licensing and is now pursuing region-by-region deals. This allows them to maintain more oversight, ensure their content is widely accessible, and better track what works in different territories. It also gives them the leverage to demand more transparency from international partners.

One of Toho’s most strategic moves has been its acquisition of GKIDS, a North American film distributor known for championing Japanese animation. With GKIDS, Toho gains a direct pipeline to theatrical, home video, and digital releases in the U.S., bying traditional streaming middlemen. This acquisition allowed Toho to release Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death on their own , without relying on Crunchyroll, which handled the previous films. Similarly, they used their U.S. arm, Toho International, to distribute My Hero Academia: You’re Next, again asserting independence from Crunchyroll.

The strategy makes it clear that Japanese companies want to handle their own international business, cut out the opacity of streaming giants, and reclaim the global narrative around their content.

This trend is not limited to Toho. Kadokawa, another powerhouse in the anime space, is setting up local offices overseas to manage IP and licensing directly. Meanwhile, merchandising arms like Toho’s iiZO store are expanding globally, ensuring that popular goods tied to anime series are available worldwide. The strategy makes it clear that Japanese companies want to handle their own international business, cut out the opacity of streaming giants, and reclaim the global narrative around their content.

The Future of Anime Distribution Is Fragmented, and That Is a Good Thing

The YouTube Experiment and Beyond

The days of relying solely on big-name streaming platforms may be numbered. Japan’s anime industry is experimenting with alternate models that increase accessibility without sacrificing control. One promising avenue is YouTube. The Anime Times channel, a collaboration between major Japanese studios and Amazon Prime, offers fans a taste of anime without subscription fees. Similarly, REMOW’s It’s Anime YouTube channel streams new and older titles with English subtitles, aiming to cultivate a global audience from the ground up.

By embracing ad-ed models and offering free content, studios can build awareness, test global interest, and drive demand for events, Blu-rays, and merchandise.

Streaming on YouTube may seem like a step backward from high-end platforms, but it is part of a bigger strategy. By embracing ad-ed models and offering free content, studios can build awareness, test global interest, and drive demand for events, Blu-rays, and merchandise. As Japan’s “Cool Japan” initiative gains momentum, even the government is encouraging these kinds of hybrid strategies. Minister Minoru Kiuchi has publicly acknowledged the importance of balancing streaming access with value-added services like fan events and exclusive goods.

At the same time, Japan is recognizing the value of working with platforms in a more balanced way. Netflix, for example, recently itted that exclusivity is not always beneficial. While it can help internal teams better understand and promote a show, it may also limit reach. The company says it now considers a mix of models, both exclusive and non-exclusive, depending on the title. This shift in tone suggests that even the giants are starting to adapt to new realities. The more flexible the market becomes, the more power creators will regain.

The End of the Streaming Monopoly Era

Goodbye Gatekeepers, Hello Global Audiences for Anime

What is emerging now is not a wholesale rejection of streaming, but a recalibration of how anime reaches the world. For too long, a handful of global platforms wielded disproportionate control over distribution, viewership, and revenue. Now, Japan’s anime industry is saying enough is enough. By embracing diversified licensing, direct oversight, and innovative delivery models, studios are taking their future into their own hands. This is not just good for business, it is great for fans.

The result will likely be a more fragmented but ultimately healthier ecosystem. Some titles will premiere in theaters, others on ad-ed YouTube channels, while many will land on multiple streaming platforms simultaneously. No longer will a single company like Crunchyroll or Netflix control access to an entire slate of top-tier anime. That competition will fuel better marketing, richer fan experiences, and, most importantly, a wider, more democratic path for anime to thrive across the globe.