Netflix and MAPPA Sign Landmark Anime Partnership
The deal gives MAPPA financial stability and creative freedom outside the production committee system, while Netflix secures exclusive access to one of the most respected anime studios among Western fans.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime By The Numbers.
Netflix and MAPPA announced a strategic partnership that gives Netflix exclusive streaming rights to a slate of original MAPPA-produced anime titles. The deal was revealed alongside Netflix's semi-annual viewership report, which showed anime accounted for 8.9 billion hours watched on the platform in 2025, a 10.6% increase from the previous year. Anime viewership grew more than ten times faster than the rest of Netflix's catalog, which grew only 1.3%. The partnership is structured on a cost-plus basis, where Netflix pays for production plus a guaranteed margin. Industry analyst Jerome Mazandarani described the arrangement as a pivot toward sustainability for MAPPA, a studio that has faced production strain from major titles like Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan's final season. The deal allows MAPPA to bypass the traditional production committee model, which limited the studio's profit share on past hits such as Yuri!!! On ICE. Netflix's 2025 anime lineup included fewer than 20 exclusive new releases, with around half of its new global anime titles shared with competitors like Crunchyroll or Disney.
Netflix and MAPPA formalized a partnership that grants Netflix exclusive streaming rights to a slate of original anime produced by the studio. The announcement accompanied Netflix's viewership data for 2025, which showed anime hours watched rose to 8.9 billion, a 10.6% year-over-year increase. By comparison, the rest of Netflix's catalog grew just 1.3% in the same period. Anime now makes up roughly 4.6% of all viewership on the platform.
The deal operates on a cost-plus model, meaning Netflix covers production costs and adds a guaranteed profit margin for MAPPA. Jerome Mazandarani, writing in The Accidental Otaku, called the arrangement a move toward sustainability for a studio that has pushed its staff and finances to keep up with demands from series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan. The structure also frees MAPPA from the traditional production committee model, which limited the studio's earnings from global successes like Yuri!!! On ICE.
Netflix's 2025 anime output remained flat for a third consecutive year, with fewer than 20 exclusive new releases. About half of its new global anime titles were non-exclusive, shared with Crunchyroll or Disney. The MAPPA deal signals a shift toward securing high-profile exclusives rather than expanding volume.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime By The Numbers What Netflix’s 2025 Tells Us About Their Evolving Anime Strategy