Thread: News Stories
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Old 2009-03-05, 05:16   Link #1727
Aquillion
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Apologies if this has been posted already, but it seems pretty relevant to this site:

Future of 'anime' industry in doubt
Money, success elude; outsourcing, piracy abound

Quote:
...

"Thanks to megahits such as 'Evangelion' and 'Pokemon,' Japanese animation has fared well in the past. But it has already maxed out as an export industry," Iwata explained, adding that besides the lack of big-name titles and a decrease in overseas airplay in recent years, the greatest obstacle lies in the illegal Internet sites that provide free content.

"These sites upload programs almost immediately after they are broadcast in Japan," accompanied with "fan subs" — English subtitles translated by fans," Iwata said. "This is causing a very big dent in sales."
Of course, it could just be people blaming us for the bad economy (since, you know, the industry was doing fine until then, and importing DVDs of TV shows from another country is going to be a luxury regardless of anything else.)

But still.
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