No Export for You

A work can be very well received in its country of origin without being famous elsewhere. Some franchises seem to churn out tons upon tons of merchandise and special content. Internationally, the majority of this stuff sees limited release, if any.

There are a few reasons why this may occur — the language barrier, lack of potential appeal to foreign audiences, licensing difficulties, cultural differences, or censorship — for more, see Analysis.

This is when a work was not released in a country even though there were good reasons to export it there. It has to meet at least one of the following conditions:

• It is part of a franchise which has previously proven to be successful in other regions (e.g. Sailor Moon).
• It was made with the specific intention of being sold overseas (e.g. Sin and Punishment).
• Its genre and/or sensibilities make it the sort of thing that would be exported in the absence of foreign fans clamouring for it.

This is about media that's not exported for no obvious reason.

Because of the Internet, people have become far more aware of works from abroad, including obscure ones that aren't aimed at their country at all. But, just because a Vocal Minority believes something from abroad should be released for them, doesn't mean their country is a viable market. The distributors have to think of the money.

In this section, the following are not valid examples:

• TV series — by nature, most television is made explicitly for domestic consumption with little intention of exporting it. The only exception would be if it has already been released in some markets and proven successful.
• Works which are released only in very similar markets, such as Canada and the US. Because these two share so much in common, it isn't a big indicator of success in the rest of the world.
• Many video games never get released outside of their home market, for the same reasons as television shows. Video game examples can be included only if one or more instalments of a franchise have already been released in a different region.

If there's little likelihood of a strong market demand for a work, it is fair for a company not to export it to a foreign region. Movies made in Europe from the 1920s-'50s usually weren't released in the U.S., unless the starring actor/actress was a really big, recognizable name - Sophia Loren, say. Otherwise, the commercial release of said movie there wouldn't have been financially viable.

Still, with today's primary distribution point being online for music (iTunes, Amazon), games (Steam), movies (Netflix), books (Amazon), and television (Hulu), you gotta wonder about the motivation behind regionally restricted release when manufacture and shipping costs simply don't apply.

Nothing sucks more than a certain series you want to see translated and in some cases can't, since the company may throw a Fanwork Ban at you which stonewalls any translation attempt.

This may overlap with Region Coding, especially where DVDs, Blu-rays, gaming media and web media is involved. May also invoke Screwed by the Network if it's only later seasons of a show that is not being exported and the show has been taken off the air in said markets where the show had been screwed, which may result in a case of Keep Circulating the Tapes.

Can lead to Sequel First or Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros.".

See Bad Export for You for a less extreme, yet more insulting version; also No Dub for You if a title is released without a native dub track. Compare to Offer Void In Nebraska and Banned in China (which is essentially "No Import for You"). See also Import Gaming for a way around this. Contrast Short Run in Peru, and Germans Love David Hasselhoff.

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Examples:

• Anime and Manga
• Comic Books
• Film
• Light Novels
• Literature
• Live-Action TV
• Music
• New Media
• Puppet Shows
• Other
• Toys
• Tabletop Games
• Video Games
  • Tales Series
  • Pokémon ^note  Also includes anime episodes and manga.
• Western Animation

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