Teikoku Databank Finds Rising Costs Cut Anime Studios' Foreign Outsourcing
The survey data shows outsourcing, a longstanding way to absorb production volume, is tightening at the same time studios face labor pressure at home, which puts studio revenue under threat.
Reporting from 1 source: Animenomics.
An annual Teikoku Databank survey of 189 anime studios found the share doing business with foreign subcontractors fell 3.4 points in 2026 to 41.8 percent, as a weak yen raised outsourcing costs. Deals with Chinese studios dropped nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak, while South Korean transactions were flat. The briefing also covers Hayate's webtoon slate, a new Crunchyroll division, and domain oversight talks.
Teikoku Databank's annual analysis surveyed 189 anime studios on hiring and subcontracting. The share that hired freelancers slipped 3.6 points to 70.4 percent, and the share doing business with foreign companies fell 3.4 points to 41.8 percent as labor costs rose among longtime outsourcing partners.
Chinese subcontracting deals have fallen nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak, which Teikoku Databank attributes to growing demand for domestic animators in China. South Korean deals were flat this year after nearly tripling between 2023 and 2025. The forecast warns studio revenue could fall this year as some decline projects to protect quality and working conditions.
- Foreign outsourcing share falls: Down 3.4 points in 2026 to 41.8 percent of surveyed studios
- Freelance hiring share slips: Down 3.6 points this year to 70.4 percent
- China subcontracting deals: Down nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak
- South Korea subcontracting deals: Flat this year after nearly tripling between 2023 and 2025
- Hayate webtoon slate: Developing adaptations for up to 15 LINE Digital Frontier webtoon titles
- Crunchyroll new division: Launches a new division
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Animenomics Anime studios see higher costs in outsourcing