Anime Tops New Licensing Report Thanks to Pokemon, Toei Animation, and More

Anime is only getting bigger by the year.

By Megan Peters

The world of entertainment is massive, and a brand has to be something special to climb the ranks. From streaming to merchandising, there are countless companies competing with one another when it comes to sales. Thanks to License Global, a new report has gone live breaking down the top global licensors based on sales. And as it turns out, anime is doing just fine for itself.

According to License Global, Crunchyroll made a name for itself by landed in its top 40 licensors. The streaming service grossed an estimated $1.1 billion last year. This impressive total comes from licensed consumer products as well as other experiences. By placing 36th, Crunchyroll beat out big brands like Sketchers, but it isn't the top-grossing licensor in the anime game.

This new report reveals that The Pokemon Company is actually on the top of that list. The brand, which captains the Pokemon anime and video games, earned an estimated $10.8 billion last year. Other anime brands like Toei Animation and Bandai Namco Group grossed more than Crunchyroll according to this list. Toei Animation, the home of One Piece and Dragon Ball, brought home nearly $5.5 billion while Bandai Namco grossed about $2.7 billion.

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Plus, Viz Media found its way onto the licensing report. The manga distributor grossed about $550 million in the last year. This figure is easy to believe given Viz Media's library of works. From manga to light novels and anime licenses, Viz Media has a huge library, so it was destined to make bank.

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As for the report's top licensors of 2024, well – film fans can probably guess who came in first place. The Walt Disney Company took first place easily with an estimated haul of $62 billion. Authentic Brands Group and Dotdash Meredith took the next spots before Warner Bros. Discovery saddled in fourth place with $15 billion. And finally, the top five licensors ended with Hasbro as the top company grossed just over $14 billion. 

What do you make of this latest industry breakdown? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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