Netflix joins virtual You Tuber boom

Netflix has joined Japan’s booming virtual Youtuber – or VTuber. This is majorly due to the launch of an animated character to promote its growing anime streaming offering.

VTubers has the characters animated by motion capture that have built a loyal audience on YouTube in Japan by singing, dancing and interacting with fans. And in this N-ko, a “sheep-human lifeform”, is Netflix’s attempt to tap into the appeal of VTubers. One of the company’s employees is performing this character. And this is to introduce anime shows available on the streaming service.

To secure local subscribers, online streaming services including Netflix are always hungry for content. And this led to turning to anime and exploits the global market for such shows that is seen by many in the industry as under commercialized.

Netflix Co-CEO Theodore Sarandos said on an earnings call that Japanese anime and Korean drama play really well around the region as well as in-country and occasionally could be very, very global in their interest and desire. In this pandemic situation the anime industries has been boosted up. As an example for this, in United States a movie from horror fantasy series “Demon Slayer” have been released and broke all the domestic records.