Amazon launches Anime Strike streaming service in the US

We don't often talk about US-specific anime news here on UK Anime (the reason for that is in the web site name!), but sometimes it's worth making an exception for something that draws a notable line in the sand which is worth observing as an industry trend as a whole.

With that in mind, we were more than a little intrigued by Amazon's announcement in the United States that they're launching a new streaming service (or Amazon Channel in tehir parlance) which they've named Anime Strike, which will be streaming anime content acquired by Amazon exclusively as well as a number of other series from the likes of Sentai Filmworks. The services costs $4.99 per month, but (and it's a big but) the service is only available as an add-on if you're an Amazon Prime member.

Amazon's desire to promote its anime content via its own discrete service seems like a very clear statement of intent in terms of their desire to compete with other anime-specific services such as Crunchyroll and FunimationNow, and with that in mind we'll be watching closely to see how (and if) the service grows and adapts to the market it's inserted itself into over time. If nothing else, it certainly marks out anime's unique place in the streaming video ecosystem.

It also leaves us wondering what will happen to Amazon's anime content from a UK perspective - currently, we can find all of Amazon's simulcast and streaming anime content as part of their Amazon Video service, and indeed we've been granted access to a lot of content that US fans were locked out of (doubtless as a precursor to the launch in question here) but will we see a UK launch of Anime Strike in the future? That will likely depend upon a number of factors, not least how the service fares in the US, but we'll certainly be keeping a close eye on developments over the course of 2017.

What are your thoughts on Anime Strike? Would you like to see it launch in the UK? How do you find Amazon's current UK video service as it pertains to anime? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

In the meantime though, you can take a look at Amazon's US Anime Strike landing page to get a peek at their line-up.