Global Animation Industry Report 2014: Strategies, Trends & Opportunities

The size of the global animation industry was about USD 222 billion in 2013. The major animation markets include the United States, Canada, Japan, China, France, Britain, Korea and Germany. Most of the segments in the animation industry are growing at the rate of 7% YoY. The outsourced computer animation production market is increasingly being tapped by North American and European film and television program producers.
The major animation markets include the United States, Canada, Japan, China, France, Britain and Germany. The current animation industry is influenced by large multinational studios as well as TV broadcast companies and cable channel companies. They are engaged in activities from pre-production to distribution, as well as new sources of revenue such as DVD sales and intellectual property licensing.
The rapid advancement of technology has made computer animation available to the masses and the animation industry is one of the fastest growing industries. The demand for animated entertainment has expanded with the increase in broadcasting hours by cable and satellite TV along with the growing popularity of the Internet. In the past, animation series were aimed at children aged nine and below. In recent years however, TV stations have been producing animation series for teenagers, adults and the whole family. Animation series like The Simpsons and King of the Hill have been successfully aired on prime-time TV.
The multinational studios leverage various forms of partnership, co-production and joint ventures with global partners. Several countries subsidize their national film industries, including animation and therefore, strategies such as co-production have been adopted to explore global market opportunities and production subsidies.
Co-production has emerged as a popular strategy for studios in many countries. Funding flows for co-production, from Hollywood to other countries and vice versa are very common.