The news: Anime is gaining popularity across the globe, per a recent Dentsu report highlighting anime viewership trends, proving that marketers who haven’t yet paid attention to the medium need to tap in.

Among the key findings:

• 50% of Gen Z watches anime weekly, with 14% watching daily. Millennials also tune in frequently, with nearly half (48%) watching daily or weekly. OIder generations watch far less often: 24% of Gen X watches daily (4%) or weekly (20%), and only 1% of Baby Boomers watch daily.
• Overall, 31% of consumers worldwide and 1 in 3 US viewers watch anime weekly.
• Netflix leads as the go-to source for anime worldwide, with 48% of viewers using Netflix for anime programming. Disney+ (32%) and Prime Video (29%) follow.
• 28% of global consumers who watch anime have spent over $200 on merchandise with anime IP, and 1 in 10 anime viewers have spent over $500.

Why platforms are paying attention: Anime’s global viewership gives access to diverse audiences. And the medium is cheaper to produce and acquire than live-action scripted shows—making it a key opportunity to sustain subscribers while keeping costs low.