IGN Otaku Update #3: Muse Communication’s Expansion in India and Future Plans
In this edition of IGN Otaku Update, we talk to Muse Communication’s Julia Cheng to understand the Taiwan-based anime distributor’s strategies and future plans.
IGN Otaku Update is IGN India's original column series exclusively dedicated to covering the burgeoning animanga fandom and market in India and beyond.
With over 30 years of experience in animation licensing and distribution, Muse Communication, based in Taiwan, is expanding its reach across Asia, facilitating the distribution of anime in various territories. Acquiring rights to licenses for a diverse range of anime, Muse distributes content to TV, VOD, AVOD channels, and streaming platforms.
In India, Muse Communication is rapidly establishing a presence of its own, delivering numerous shows to OTT platforms in the country. In our discussion for the third issue of IGN Otaku Update, I spoke to Julia Cheng, director of India operations and head of business development for global content distribution at Muse Communication. Our conversation aimed to understand the intricacies of the anime distribution landscape and shed light on Muse Communication’s role within it.
Julia oversees all aspects of licensing for anime streaming and broadcast. Her responsibilities include expanding territories for anime distribution and ensuring widespread availability of content acquired from licensors. Muse Communication’s strategy involves partnering with streaming platforms and TV channels to make anime accessible to consumers.
Muse Communication’s journey in the Indian market
“Muse’s journey in the Indian market started roughly three to five years ago,” Julia explained. “We began with market research and did a lot of development to understand the market, so that we could do flexible business with our partners.”
In the past two years, Muse Communication has seen a “phenomenal” growth, awareness, and potential in India, she revealed.
“I would say our strategy in the Indian market is on track, and everything is growing,” she added. “We view Muse’s growth in India in a positive light.”
State of the Indian anime market and future of Muse in the country
Despite India being hailed as the second-largest anime market, second only to the U.S., it is still in its early stages, especially concerning the official arrival of anime and theatrical releases of anime films.
With years of experience in mature markets and the anime ecosystem, Muse Communication believes it has the expertise to develop the market further. While the market is undoubtedly growing, there is still much work to be done.
“The good thing is that our partners here in India understand [the challenges],” the Muse Communication executive explained about the Indian anime market. “It’s a good thing that awareness of anime has increased among B2B businesses here.”
One of the tasks for the Taiwan-based distributor is to establish how to build the ecosystem in India collaboratively with streaming platforms and broadcasters, to make sure that anime reaches audiences legally.
To this end, Muse Communication is also establishing an office in India, hiring employees to support clients and engage with fans more effectively in the country.
Muse’s YouTube strategy
Among anime fans and readers, Muse is likely best known for its YouTube channels, which offer anime completely free of charge. Unlike competitors who also provide free anime on YouTube but reserve many signature titles for an add-on subscription, Muse has multiple YouTube channels for various territories, offering a wide selection of anime shows at no cost.
Julia explains that the YouTube channels serve as a means to interact with fans and understand their preferences. For Muse, YouTube isn’t merely a streaming platform. It serves as a promotional tool to gauge the popularity of shows in specific markets, helping the company support its partners. YouTube and social media are used by the company to direct fans to various streaming platforms where anime licensed by Muse are available.
Through this strategy, Muse Communication is able to provide its clients with the most accurate insights using this data, she revealed.
The piracy problem
This underscores the importance of having anime available for free on Muse’s YouTube channel, rather than viewers resorting to piracy websites.
“We have a long history and experience in communicating with audiences to encourage the habit of watching anime through official means,” Julia noted. “Our goal is to get them used to the concept of consuming anime legally and its importance.”
Translating, subbing, and dubbing anime
Besides distribution, Muse also operates a production department, providing local language subtitles and dubbing for various regions.
“We started Hindi dubs about two years ago and have since dubbed several shows in Hindi. There will be more dubbed shows coming out, particularly this year, and even more in the next year. Right now, we’re working with multiple dubbing studios for localisations. And not only Hindi; we’re also looking at other languages in India,” she explained.
Languages such as Tamil and Telugu may be included in the second phase of localisation efforts for Muse in India.
Anime film distribution
In addition to digital and television distribution, Muse Communication also handles the theatrical distribution of anime films. In India, the company brought That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Movie – Scarlet Bond to the big screens last year.
The film premiered in the country on May 26, 2023, which was considered late since it was already available on OTT services.
“We’ve been doing lots of theatrical releases outside of India, such as in Taiwan and Southeast Asia,” Julia explained. “We’ve been in this line of work for several years, so we understand the process. We have the resources and marketing capabilities to distribute films in theatres.”
But as for the delayed release of the TenSura Scarlet Bond in India, she sees it as a positive step, viewing it as a gradual entry into the market. She emphasised that theatrical launches are significant undertakings that require careful coordination:
“We view this as a positive step for our B2B strategy because it allows us to familiarise ourselves with the Indian market and improve ourselves for future theatrical launches. So for the next step, we’re not trying to bring more content to theatres but also organise events for movie launches. In the next year, we are looking into more movie releases in theatres in India.”
Julia added that Muse Communication recognises the potential of the Indian market for anime movies, but the timing and preparation is of importance as well.
How anime distribution has changed
Anime is undeniably a burgeoning category in the realm of content, especially in recent years, with increased interaction between the Western and Asian markets. Julia says that when it comes to distribution, anime has become a staple on streaming platforms. While there are dedicated anime platforms like Crunchyroll, many general content platforms also include anime in their selection.
In the past few years, many streaming platforms have recognised the demand for anime and made efforts to incorporate it into their libraries, even if their primary focus remains on Bollywood, Western content, or other genres like Korean dramas. She believes that this shows that there is a growing interest in anime among audiences, contributing to its stable and quiet growth compared to other categories.
Anime merchandise
Merchandising is one of the main businesses for Muse Communication. In Singapore and Malaysia, Muse collaborates with Hakken!, a retail store sells anime merchandise. With regard to India, there are plans to expand into this area in the near future, according to Julia. India is particularly highlighted as a big market for expansion into merchandising, and extensive market research has been conducted in this regard throughout the year.
While there is confidence in the growth potential of merchandising in India, Julia acknowledges that the market is still in its early stages. Despite ongoing efforts, there is much work yet to be done to fully establish and develop merchandising opportunities in India.
What roles fans can play
Even though anime is popular in India, notable titles like Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume are still unavailable for streaming in the country. Even a highly popular series like Attack on Titan was only recently made available on platforms like Anime Times, months after it ended. This raises the question: What can fans do to ensure timely availability of anime in India?
“We have really strong market research and social media teams, to collect information to understand what fans like,” Julia said. This feedback is invaluable in informing the company’s decisions regarding anime acquisitions. Therefore, being vocal about their preferences and expressing their demand for specific titles can influence the availability of anime content in India.
What’s next for Muse Communication
For the first half of 2024, Muse Communication is distributing titles such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3 and Demon Slayer Season 4 to multiple streaming platforms.
Looking ahead, one of Muse Communication’s most flagship titles for this year is Dandadan. Julia said that the company is prepared to invest heavily in marketing, event preparation, and promotion in collaboration with its partners. With high expectations for the Science Saru production, Muse Communication is looking ahead to make an impact in the anime community in India.
Got any news tips, or want to discuss a possible story? Email us at ign_india@ign.com
Rayan Sayyed is a staff writer for IGN India with a primary focus on Asian entertainment spanning from anime, manga, games to films and dramas from the East. You can reach out to him at rayan_sayyed@ign.com, or find him on Twitter @rayanaver and Instagram @rayansayyed.
