Netflix's Ad Plan May Lose Some of Anime's Top Shows Soon

Netflix has rolled out its new plan, and the ad-centric tier has become a hot topic. With its cheaper price, plenty of netizens are trying out the subscription. However, the tier doesn't include all the content Netflix has to offer, and a new report suggests several major anime series will be removed from ad plans because of NHK.

The report comes from Yahoo! Japan as execs at NHK released a statement regarding Netflix's new plan. According to new reports, the network is not pleased with the ad-inclusive tier as NHK is a public broadcasting service. As such, its policies for advertising are very strict, and they do not appear to align with Netflix's own guidelines. As such, NHK is now demanding its titles be suspended "under all plans".

The Issue at Hand

Yahoo! Japan reports NHK was kept abreast of the ad-supporter plan before it rolled out in the United States, but Netflix's "explanation" as to why the service was needed felt inadequate to executives. Paired with the network's restriction on ads, NHK feels it is now necessary to remove all its content from Netflix. At this time, no formal list of titles has been released detailing which anime series NHK licenses to Netflix directly. But of course, fans know the network hosts a good many anime in Japan.

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Currently, the TV series broadcasts Attack on Titan, To Your Eternity, Kingdom, Tsurune, and several other popular titles. The network has also hosted other hits like Vinland Saga, March Comes in Like a Lion, Cardcaptor Sakura, and even Bakuman. At this point, it is unclear whether the licenses of these shows at Netflix rest with NHK or their respective production committees. But if Netflix and the network cannot mediate this issue, some if not all of these could be removed from the platform entirely. 

What do you think of this Netflix debacle? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.