Shawn Jump has announced an interesting new collaboration with Netflix, and it could help make manga even more mainstream. Netflix has invested heavily in anime in recent years, and it seems that the streaming giant is now ready to branch out into manga with a new joint subscription plan with Shueisha.
According to a post on X by WSJ_manga, Shonen Jump and Netflix will be launching a new joint subscription plan which will be available from September 17, 2024. The new combined subscription plan will be cheaper and may therefore attract new readers to Shonen Jump.
An official announcement has yet to be made by Netflix or Shueisha, so it is unclear which of Shueisha’s online reading services will be included in the new plan. That said, Manga Plus would be a prime candidate considering its recently introduced subscription tiers.
Shonen Jump and Netflix announce new joint subscription offer
The collaboration may push more people to try manga
Despite its rapidly growing anime library, Netflix can’t compete with Crunchyroll so far. Netflix also doesn’t have the best reputation among fans, which has been worsened by recent leaks of Netflix’s biggest upcoming titles. That said, Netflix has acquired the licensing rights to some of the most anticipated releases, such as the Ranma 1/2 Remake and Dan here Dan and Its new collaboration with Shonen Jump could finally strengthen Netflix’s position.
This growing variety of titles together with the new collaboration may finally give Netflix A slight edge over Crunchyroll, which has never been able to offer such a deal despite its dominance in the anime-streaming space. More importantly, the new subscription offer could push newer anime fans to try manga, helping manga grow more mainstream as a result. Netflix has been successfully drawing new viewers to anime as seen with the live-action adaptation of one piece And Now It can also do the same for manga, which although popular, has yet to reach the global popularity of anime and manhwa.
Source: WSJ_manga/X