{"rewrite":{"id":"r_cbc6794d1b588a23dc30a697","clusterId":"c_6b55a890db86b69f6e9fed4f","slug":"teikoku-databank-finds-rising-costs-cut-anime-studios-foreign-outsourcing","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Teikoku Databank Finds Rising Costs Cut Anime Studios' Foreign Outsourcing","summary":"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.","whyItMatters":"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.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eTeikoku Databank\u0026#39;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.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChinese 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.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eForeign outsourcing share falls\u003c/strong\u003e: Down 3.4 points in 2026 to 41.8 percent of surveyed studios\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFreelance hiring share slips\u003c/strong\u003e: Down 3.6 points this year to 70.4 percent\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChina subcontracting deals\u003c/strong\u003e: Down nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSouth Korea subcontracting deals\u003c/strong\u003e: Flat this year after nearly tripling between 2023 and 2025\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHayate webtoon slate\u003c/strong\u003e: Developing adaptations for up to 15 LINE Digital Frontier webtoon titles\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrunchyroll new division\u003c/strong\u003e: Launches a new division\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","blueskyPost":"Teikoku Databank: the share of anime studios using foreign subcontractors fell 3.4 points to 41.8 percent in 2026. China deals are down nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak; South Korea transactions are flat.","twitterPost":"Teikoku Databank's annual survey: 41.8 percent of anime studios did business with foreign subcontractors in 2026, down 3.4 points. China deals fell nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak. Freelance hiring slipped to 70.4 percent.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"A historically weak yen is driving up costs for anime studios that subcontract work abroad, and Teikoku Databank's annual survey shows the pullback: 41.8 percent of 189 studios did business with foreign companies in 2026, down 3.4 points. Deals with Chinese studios fell nearly 30 percent from a 2023 peak. The same briefing covers Hayate's webtoon slate and a new Crunchyroll division.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Animenomics\",\"url\":\"https://news.animenomics.com/p/anime-studios-see-higher-costs-in-outsourcing\",\"title\":\"Anime studios see higher costs in outsourcing\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4957,"outputTokens":837,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791983232,"createdAt":"2026-10-14T13:03:28.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-14T13:06:07.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-14T13:06:07.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_6b55a890db86b69f6e9fed4f","canonicalTitle":"Anime studios see higher costs in outsourcing","representativeArticleId":"a_036b8050bc787dd2d8b4e516","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":true}","contentType":"business","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-14T12:03:55.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-14T12:03:55.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-14T13:06:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Animenomics","url":"https://news.animenomics.com/p/anime-studios-see-higher-costs-in-outsourcing","title":"Anime studios see higher costs in outsourcing"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"industry","is_roundup":true},"keyFacts":null}