Avex anime business profile: music, anime, and overseas segments
Avex is best known as a music company, but its anime and visual content segment is a discrete reporting line with its own profit and loss.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Avex is a Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime-listed entertainment company with three reporting segments: Music, Anime and Visual Content, and Overseas. For the fiscal year ended March 2026, the Anime and Visual Content segment generated JPY 21.1 billion in external revenue and JPY 1.1 billion in operating income, up from JPY 17.9 billion in revenue and JPY 0.3 billion in operating income the previous year. The Music segment remains the largest at JPY 121.4 billion in revenue, while the Anime and Visual Content segment accounts for about 14% of consolidated external sales.
What Avex is and how it reports anime
Avex Inc. is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under code 7860. It operates through three reporting segments: Music, Anime and Visual Content, and Overseas. The Music segment covers recorded music, music publishing, artist management, concerts, events, and merchandising. The Anime and Visual Content segment covers planning, production, sales, promotion, film distribution, games, and supply of anime works to streaming services. The Overseas segment covers planning, production, and distribution of entertainment content in North America and Asia.
Avex's anime business is therefore not a side activity within music; it is a standalone segment with separate revenue and operating income disclosure. This matters because Avex's public filings let observers track the anime line's performance independently of the larger music business.
Avex segment results for the fiscal year ended March 2026
Avex's latest securities filing, the 39th period covering April 2025 to March 2026, shows the Music segment as the largest contributor, followed by Anime and Visual Content, with Overseas the smallest. Segment operating income follows the same order, though the Overseas segment posted an operating loss.
The table below shows external customer revenue and segment operating income in millions of Japanese yen. Figures are taken from Avex's reported segment disclosures.
Avex segment results, fiscal year ended March 2026, in millions of JPY. Source: Avex securities filing via J-LiC.| Segment | External revenue | Operating income | Share of revenue |
|---|
| Music | JPY 121,438M | JPY 3,468M | 82.9% |
| Anime and Visual Content | JPY 21,123M | JPY 1,062M | 14.4% |
| Overseas | JPY 3,952M | JPY -466M | 2.7% |
Segment-definition note: Avex defines Anime and Visual Content as planning, production, sales, promotion, and distribution of anime and visual content, plus artist management, film distribution, game planning and production, and supply of anime works to streaming services. Revenue is reported before intersegment eliminations.
How Avex makes money from anime
Avex's anime segment earns revenue across several channels. The company produces and sells anime titles, licenses them to streaming platforms, distributes films, and plans and produces games. Merchandise, events, and music tied to anime properties also flow through the segment, reflecting Avex's ability to combine animation with its music and live-event infrastructure.
Avex has noted that the share of home video sales in the anime and films business has fallen below 10% of segment revenue in recent years, while streaming and overseas sales have become more important. The Anime Times channel on Amazon Prime Video is one example of a distribution asset the company operates directly.
Ownership and group structure
Avex is an independent listed company. It is not a subsidiary of a larger media conglomerate, unlike many of its anime peers. The company was formerly named Avex Group Holdings and changed its name to Avex Inc. in November 2017. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo.
Within the group, Avex owns labels, artist management companies, and production subsidiaries that support both the Music and Anime and Visual Content segments. The company does not break out anime-specific subsidiaries in its segment reporting, but the segment definition makes clear that game planning and production, film distribution, and streaming supply are integral parts of the anime business rather than separate divisions.
Strategy and where Avex fits in anime
Avex's strategy in anime is to use its music, event, and distribution capabilities to exploit IP across multiple revenue streams. The company has emphasized expanding streaming and overseas sales, and it has acquired and developed IP both inside and outside the group. Management has also acknowledged that creating big hits and acquiring strong external IP has at times fallen short of plan.
Avex sits at the crossroads of music and anime, which gives it a different position from pure animation studios. It can monetize a single property through soundtracks, concerts, streaming, merchandise, and events. The segment numbers show that this model is profitable but much smaller than Avex's music business.
Frequently asked questions
How much revenue does Avex generate from anime?
For the fiscal year ended March 2026, Avex's Anime and Visual Content segment reported external revenue of JPY 21.1 billion, or about 14% of the company's consolidated external sales.
Is Avex primarily a music or anime company?
By revenue, Avex is primarily a music company. Its Music segment generated JPY 121.4 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2026, compared with JPY 21.1 billion for Anime and Visual Content.
What are Avex's anime business activities?
Avex's Anime and Visual Content segment covers anime planning, production, sales, promotion, film distribution, game planning and production, and supply of anime works to streaming services.
Is Avex publicly traded?
Yes. Avex is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime market under securities code 7860. It reports results in Japanese yen with a March fiscal year end.
Sources and methodology
- Avex segment information, J-LiC. Avex segment definitions and financial results for the fiscal year ended March 2026, in millions of JPY.
- Avex corporate information, J-LiC. Listing status, fiscal year end, latest securities report period, and consolidated revenue summary.
- Avex full-year results briefing, Music Business Worldwide. Trade press summary of Avex's latest fiscal year, including anime segment growth and home video mix.