Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and Kelly Day, VP of international for Prime Video, discussed their expansion of Asian content and their focus on Japanese markets by taking it to the next level, especially with anime content. Salke revealed that they have multiple teams working on this strategy and thus have a lot of exciting stuff in the works.

Salke stated;

We have a big commitment to an anime slate that we’re pulling together, and the teams are all working on it. There’s a lot of exciting stuff in the works that we’re looking forward to sharing, and that’s an ongoing commitment.

According to Amazon officials, the company wants to maintain an edge in Asian countries, especially in Japan, considering it is one of the most valuable territories for Prime Video. This is why they are ramping up their content strategy in Japan for the next few years.

Look Back
Look Back on Prime Video | Credit: Studio Durian

With projects like Look Back, which is already a global sensation, Amazon is ready to stretch itself even more by creating original anime series and movies that are not affiliated with other production studios and streaming services.

While Amazon’s expansion in the anime industry is certainly understandable in terms of the company’s growth, it is not at all good for the community as a whole. One of the biggest problems with this is the thinning out of the anime world as more and more streaming services get involved and buy the rights to the many anime movies and series.

Prime Video
Prime Video Streaming Services | Credit: Amazon

The more streaming services get involved, the more difficult it becomes to keep track of our favorite anime series or movies. Plus, the issue of different regions offering different plans and projects depending on the regulations is also something that gets more complicated with the expansion. These problems will divide the industry even more instead of connecting it.

Also, anime fans might not know this, but Amazon recently announced on their official website that they have launched their pilot program for AI-assisted dubbing, which will use artificial intelligence to dub international projects. If this initiative expands to the world of anime, it will cause a major disruption among creators and fans.