This multi-market study (positioned as a global anime study delivering global anime fandom research insights) examined anime viewing and engagement behaviours across three rapidly growing regions: Indonesia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and India. The goal was to uncover what drives fandom, how audiences consume anime content (capturing detailed anime viewing habits and anime consumption patterns across markets), and which intellectual properties (IPs) demonstrate the strongest engagement potential. A total of 3,000 anime consumers participated, with 1,000 respondents per market, representing a balanced and comprehensive view of each country’s evolving anime space, contributing to anime consumption data, anime audience trends, and global trends in anime entertainment consumption.

Business Challenge

Anime has become a global phenomenon, yet fandom culture and viewing motivations differ significantly by region, reflecting cultural anime differences and cultural influences on anime fandom across regional anime markets. The challenge lay in identifying common emotional triggers and market-specific behaviors (anime fan motivation and anime fan behavior) to inform strategies for content development, anime localization, and audience engagement. Understanding how fans discover, connect with, and express their passion for anime across different cultural and digital ecosystems (including anime streaming and OTT consumption insights, anime OTT trends, and cross-platform anime viewership) was essential for guiding future marketing and partnership decisions through data-driven anime marketing strategies, anime market insights, and anime content strategy.

Our Approach

A quantitative online survey was conducted among active anime viewers aged 16–59 years, enabling anime engagement research and understanding global anime audience behavior across these key markets. The questionnaire was available in English and local languages to ensure inclusivity and cultural alignment, supporting effective localization strategies for anime content and broader anime industry analysis. Respondents were screened to ensure active engagement with anime through TV, OTT, streaming platforms, or social media, capturing robust anime streaming and OTT consumption insights and anime viewing behavior in Indonesia KSA India.

The study examined viewing frequency, genre preference (with a lens on anime genre preferences by country), and engagement patterns while exploring emotional motivators such as creativity, escapism, and character connection, shedding light on emotional drivers of anime fans worldwide. It also analyzed fan participation beyond viewing, through cosplay, fan art, social discussions, and merchandise activity, mapping anime fan community participation trends, anime fan culture, anime community, and broader anime participation. By combining demographic segmentation with behavioral analysis, the research captured both core fans and casual viewers, offering a holistic understanding of fandom intensity and evolution in each market, and delivering global anime insights, anime audience segmentation, and deep anime audience insights across regional anime markets.

Results

The findings revealed distinct cultural dynamics driving anime engagement across the three regions, providing a strong basis for cross market anime engagement analysis and anime audience engagement trends in Asia.

In Indonesia, anime fandom thrives on community participation; fans actively share content, attend events, and celebrate anime as a collective cultural identity, illustrating strong anime fandom trends, anime community bonds, and fan engagement. In KSA, the emotional and aspirational aspects of anime stand out, with audiences drawn to themes of resilience, creativity, and individuality, highlighting unique cultural influences on anime fandom and anime fan motivation. In India, accessibility through OTT platforms and localized language offerings has accelerated growth, transforming anime into a mainstream entertainment choice among younger audiences, driven by anime OTT trends, anime localization, and regional anime content strategy insights.

Across all markets, both long-standing franchises such as Naruto, Attack on Titan, and One Piece, as well as newer titles, showed strong engagement, underscoring anime’s universal appeal and yielding rich anime market insights and anime content marketing opportunities. The research provided actionable insights into how cultural context, media access, and fan community structure shape viewing motivation and IP resonance, deepening anime global research and anime industry analysis.

By translating diverse audience behaviors into clear data narratives, the study delivered a robust foundation for content strategy, market prioritization, and cross-platform fan engagement across key global growth markets, strengthening anime content strategy, fan engagement, and long-term anime viewership.

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