Summary
Netflix’s live-action adaptation ofOne Piecedominated the streaming platform’s six-month report, emerging as the most-watched series in the latter half of 2023 with a staggering 140 million hours viewed in its debut week alone. The show not only became a major success on Netflix but also surprisingly boosted viewership for another streaming service.
Netflix’s status as a top streaming service is largely attributed to its expanding collection of original content. A standout among its successes is thelive-action adaptation of the beloved manga animeOne Piece.Debuting almost a year ago, the series garnered widespread acclaim and attracted impressive viewership, which led to theswift approval ofOne PieceSeason 2. Interestingly, the success of the live-actionOne Piecehas also had a positive impact on another streaming platform.
In a recent discussion withThe Wrap, Crunchyroll’s Chief Operating Officer, Gita Rebbapragada, addressed an intriguing question about the platform’s viewership trends. She was asked whether the anime-focused streaming service experiences a noticeable increase in viewership whenanime-related content gains popularity on other networks or streamingplatforms. Rebbapragada confirmed that such a correlation does exist and citedOne Pieceas a prime example of this phenomenon, stating: “Netflix has a massive platform, and more people watch live-action than animation. So, between those two things, a lot more people got exposed to the franchise. It’s not just Crunchyroll that benefits from that. One Piece merch sales went up more. There was more streaming of the originalOne Pieceseries. We have it on our platform, but others do too. So, all boats rise when a franchise has a big moment.”
TheOne Pieceanime has captured the hearts of fans since its debut in 1999, two years after Echiiro Oda’s manga series first appeared. The long-standing popularity of the franchise has only grown with the success of the live-action adaptation, which has introduced Luffy and his crew’s epic quest for the elusiveOne Piecetreasure left by the King ofthe Roger Pirates, Gol D. Roger, to a broader audience. As the show gains traction on Crunchyroll, it would be interesting to see how much of the increased viewership is attributed to longtime fans of the anime versus newcomers who were drawn in by the Netflix series.
One Pieceis available to stream on Netflix, with a second season on the way.
