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Japanese Entertainment Media Market Shrank by 4.8% in 2020

Media research and promotion company HumanMedia released the 2021 edition of its "Media Content Market Database for Japan and the World" document on March 31. HumanMedia valued the 2020 Japanese media content market at 13.1076 trillion yen (about US$120.36 billion), a 4.8% reduction from 2019. The United States market had a worse contraction, with 6% reduction year-on-year from 2019 to 2020.

The report also shows the year-on-year reductions in the market value of four other countries, with Germany at an 8% reduction, France at 11%, India at 22%, and Indonesia at 22%. The report highlights the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as the primary reason for the market contraction.

In Japan, the "package" market segment — which includes home video, music, physical games, newspapers, magazines, and books — suffered a 6.4% reduction in market value in total, though video games increased in sales. The "broadcast" market segment — which includes public broadcast television, cable, and public radio — suffered a 12.2% reduction in market value. The "entertainment and facilities" segment — which includes movie theaters, karaoke bars, and arcade establishments — suffered a 43.3% reduction. The "online" segment — which includes movie and music streaming, PC and mobile games, database services, mobile phone sales and services, and online sales — had a 5.3% increase in value.

Sources: PR Times, Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)