Anime overseas

Following the popularity of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, some broadcasting companies began to release anime shows to an international market. Like with DVD sales, the sale of overseas licenses is one of the ways for the anime production companies to recoup the costs of making a show. These licenses can cost upwards of $20,000 per episode.

Once the license has been purchased by an international company, then it goes through subbing and redubbing in the local language before it can be released, a process which can take years. Many anime in Japan are not licensed by international companies if no localization company thinks that the series is profitable.

Wikipedia article on Anime licensing