Adult animation has experienced a significant surge in popularity and production over the last few years in the United States. After significant success started for the US Networks (especially Fox) in the 90s, we saw it move to Cable Television in the 00s and then more recently through the streamers, especially with Netflix.
The success of the genre and the importance of the target audience prompted major streaming platforms to expand their adult animation activity to cater to its growing appeal. The Fox Network in the US have a long history with the genre, including the groundbreaking Simpsons and Family Guy, and continue to produce shows that deliver in Prime-time as well as on Hulu and other streaming services. The huge popularity animation has with 18-34s has seen streamers really invest in animation however and although Netflix may lead, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Max, Disney+ and Paramount all see its value.
In fact you only need to take a look at Netflix’s TV Series Engagement report for the second half of 2023 to see its success. Six Adult Animation titles (not including the world of Anime) appear in the top 20% viewed; “Big Mouth”, “Disenchantment”, “Rick and Morty”, “Castlevania”, “BoJack Horseman” and “My Dad the Bounty Hunter”. “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” had over 20 million hours viewed after only launching in November and since their first originals like Bojack Horseman (2014) and Big Mouth (2017), Netflix have continued targeting the strong appeal and key audiences of Adult Animation.
Using Show tracker, we examine how adult animation has become one of the top priorities for major content providers.
Between 2017 and June 2024, the number of adult animation titles released has steadily increased, maintaining its momentum despite challenges such as the pandemic and industry strikes. This growth has been largely driven by streaming platforms, each with their strategic reasons for investing in the genre.
Netflix, contributing 51% to the adult animation pipeline, has positioned itself as a major player in this space. In 2021, Netflix released 11 adult animation titles, including their first in-house production "Inside Job," and maintained this output with 6 and 7 titles in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Similarly, Hulu has made significant strides with shows like "Solar Opposites," while HBO Max has expanded its offerings with titles such as "Harley Quinn" and an upcoming animated "Game of Thrones" series.
With the rollout of Studio SVOD services many titles have found there way onto owned services through Vertically Integrated sales, but Adult animation continues to find a variety of homes in many global markets, particularly in English-speaking countries, with Australia emerging as a leading consumer. Between 2017 and 2024 there were 18 premieres on third-party services, with a further 12 on studio owned services.
The distribution landscape for adult animation varies across markets. In Australia, Local SVODs and pay services like Stan, Binge, and Foxtel feature prominently, alongside broadcaster AVOD services (9Now) and traditional broadcast channels. In European markets whilst Local Pay Broadcasters and Global SVOD (including Studio services) typically feature the most, you do see activity elsewhere, such as M6+ in France premiering “Crossing Swords” in a second window after Canal+, E4 in the UK continuing to premiere “Harley Quinn” in the UK and Comedy Central in Germany airing “Solar Opposites”. International streaming platforms in these markets dominate in terms of Adult Animation offers but in their increasing efforts to remain relevant to 18-34s Free-to-air broadcasters and local AVOD’s may see the success Global SVODs are having with the genre and start to show more interest in it.
The future of adult animation in the US appears promising, with continuous investments from streaming platforms and production companies. The genre's ability to push boundaries and explore mature themes in creative ways ensures its relevance and appeal to a broad audience. As competition among streamers intensifies, adult animation has firmly established itself as a significant and evolving genre within the entertainment industry.
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