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Netflix Original Anime: A CELEBRATION OF ANIME AND A LOOK AHEAD at Annecy International Animated Film Festival
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tooned in

Over half of Netflix subscribers now watch anime

The once niche genre is now a battleground in the modern streaming wars.

Hyunsoo Rim

Anime has officially gone mainstream on the world’s biggest streaming service. According to Netflix, over 50% of its global members now watch anime on the platform, with viewership tripling over the past five years and subscribers watching anime content over 1 billion times in 2024.

Last year, 33 anime titles made Netflix’s weekly list of global top 10 non-English shows, more than double the figure from 2021. That boom has helped Japanese content become the world’s second-most-watched non-English category on Netflix, just behind South Korean shows and movies.

Netflix’s new report on just how well the genre is doing comes as its rivals in the streaming space aggressively look to expand their own anime libraries. Still, as the home to huge hits like “Sakamoto Days,” Netflix remains the go-to for anime fans around the world.

Netflix anime fans chart
Sherwood News

Recent research from ad agency Dentsu shows that 48% of global anime viewers subscribe to Netflix for its anime content, compared to 32% for Disney+ and 29% for Prime Video. Netflix leads across all major regions, with its strongest presence in the US, where 63% of anime viewers turn to the platform — some way ahead of Hulu (46%) and Disney+ (46%).

That fan frenzy is reportedly translating to a boost for the streamer’s top line, too. Per estimates from Parrot Analytics, anime generated over $2 billion in global revenue for Netflix in 2023, accounting for 38% of all anime streaming revenue worldwide.

That perhaps explains why the company is doubling down on international content, where spending is up 7x in the past seven years, roughly matching what Netflix splashed out on North American TV and film in 2023.

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Max Knoblauch

Uber launches “digital tasks” in the US, paying some drivers to train AI

Beginning later this fall, US Uber drivers will be able to earn money by completing short “digital tasks” like uploading restaurant menus or recording audio samples.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi teased the new gig income stream back in June at the Bloomberg Tech conference.

At that time, Khosrowshahi said drivers and couriers were “labeling maps, translating language, looking at AI answers, and grading AI answers.” According to Thursday’s announcement, the tasks won’t be so focused on Uber’s business, but instead on connecting workers with “companies that need real people to help improve their technology.”

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Uber’s having drivers train its AI while partnering with robotaxi companies that could replace them

Uber’s having drivers train its AI while partnering with robotaxi companies that could replace them

At that time, Khosrowshahi said drivers and couriers were “labeling maps, translating language, looking at AI answers, and grading AI answers.” According to Thursday’s announcement, the tasks won’t be so focused on Uber’s business, but instead on connecting workers with “companies that need real people to help improve their technology.”

Per Uber, digital tasks can be done when drivers aren’t on a trip, be it at home or when not driving, and will take only “a few minutes” each.

Max Knoblauch
10/15/25
United Airlines posts stronger-than-expected profit but weaker sales in its third quarter

United’s full-year profit outlook falls somewhere in between the dual forecasts it issued back in April.

United Airlines Airplanes at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey
Hyunsoo Rim, David Crowther
HEAD OF MACROS
10/15/25
Pop-Tarts, Doritos, and Uncrustables have joined the protein craze taking over America’s snack aisle

Food giants are catching up with the latest diet obsession.

Pop tarts protein
US-ENTERTAINMENT-ILLUSTRATION-APPLE TV+

Apple TV dropped the “plus” as streamers keep pulling back on originals

After the spray-and-pray approach led to a wave of cancellations, Hollywood is settling into an era of just making fewer shows.

Hyunsoo Rim10/15/25
business
Max Knoblauch

The average price of a new vehicle in the US passed $50,000 for the first time ever in September

The average price of a new vehicle in the US surpassed $50,000 in September, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book.

At $50,080, that’s the highest industry average ever, reflecting the price hikes faced by new car buyers in recent years amid pandemic supply shortages, tariff-induced increases, and the high cost of EV production. The figure marks a 3.6% jump from the same month last year.

“Tariffs have introduced new cost pressure to the business, but the pricing story in September was mostly driven by the healthy mix of EVs and higher-end vehicles pushing the new-vehicle ATP into uncharted territory,” Cox executive analyst Erin Keating said. Passing the $50,000 mark was inevitable, Keating said, especially considering that the country’s bestseller is a Ford truck that “routinely costs north of $65,000.”

Year over year, new vehicle prices rose nearly 6% for GM, while Ford’s climbed 2.5%. Volkswagen new prices were up 12.5%.

As prices climb, so do delinquencies on loans to borrowers with lower credit scores. Recent data from Fitch Ratings shows the portion of subprime US auto loans 60 days or more overdue reached 6.43% in August.

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