We want to be everything for the anime fan

Founded in 2006 as a video uploading and sharing site, Crunchyroll has grown into a brand synonymous with Japanese anime around the world through partnerships with a variety of companies. Sony acquired Crunchyroll in August 2021 and merged it with the Japanese anime distributor Funimation, which Sony acquired in 2017, to further expand and develop the service.

According to Purini, this was a major turning point for Crunchyroll. "Bringing two major anime services together for one ultimate anime destination," he says, "allowed us to bring more anime to more fans in more regions and in more ways."

He adds that, following Sony Group's acquisition of the company, "Crunchyroll is fortunate to be part of a diversified Japanese company with a rich history of supporting the anime ecosystem. Sony Group's Purpose to fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology is an integral part of how we at Crunchyroll define our mission. We are thrilled to be bringing anime Kando to fans across the globe."

Today, Crunchyroll has more than 130 million users in more than 200 countries and regions around the world. However, one thing that has remained consistent throughout Crunchyroll's growth as a streamer is its singular devotion to anime, and Purini explains that this is the key to Crunchyroll's success in the competitive streaming market.

"We are not interested in being something for everyone, we want to be everything for someone - the anime fan. That focus and intent in service to the anime fan across their anime fandom is core to our differentiation. We want to create amazing experiences for our fans across every touchpoint they have with anime - whether it be streaming, theatrical movies, games, merchandise or events."

Anime will continue to be a major cultural force

One such event is the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, which held its 8th annual ceremony this year. The ceremony, which was held in Japan for the second year in a row, received a record of over 34 million votes cast by fans from around the world. "Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death" won the top prize, Anime of the Year, and for the Sony Group, anime series "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc", produced by Aniplex, part of Sony Music Group (Japan, SMEJ), won the awards for Best Animation, Best Art Direction, and Best Fantasy; and the SMEJ artist YOASOBI took home the Best Anime Song award for "Idol", the opening theme song for "【OSHI NO KO】".

The 2024 Anime Awards celebrated the creators, musicians, cast members and numerous animated works that are the driving force behind anime culture, and featured presenters such as Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion and Korean film director Bong Joon-ho, as well as other celebrity anime fans from around the world.

"Watching the anime community celebrate and recognize each other, and also hearing global influencers and celebrities share how anime has inspired them in their craft, was personally very moving for me," reflects Purini. "If this 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards is an indication, anime will continue to garner a huge global spotlight this year, and will continue to be a major cultural force."

Looking forward, he is sure that the amazing feedback and global response to this year's ceremony will inspire everyone at Crunchyroll to deliver an even bigger and better Anime Awards in 2025.

A bright future for Crunchyroll and anime

Crunchyroll is an independently operated joint venture between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan-based Aniplex. Aniplex is the producer of hit anime such as "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" and "Solo Leveling", both of which enjoy worldwide popularity, as well as the distributor of full-length theatrical releases such as "Inu-Oh," and is a partner in providing content to Crunchyroll. Purini remarks that Crunchyroll's partnership with Aniplex "allows us to collaborate in ways that we can ensure we are bringing a depth and breadth of content that appeals to anime fans globally."

On the other hand, Purini says, it is important to be open to other Japanese anime creators as well.
"The production and studio ecosystem in Japan is vast, and there is a great and diverse range of creators that produce a huge variety and volume of amazing anime. We at Crunchyroll are committed to bringing all of that amazing content to our global fans. And so, it is vital for us to be an open and excellent partner to all Japanese content production and studio partners."

Purini also points out that the exploding popularity of anime overseas allow Japanese creators "to tell more diverse, unique and amazing stories." He adds, "Fans are eager for more anime, and this has allowed us to partner with the Japanese creative community to increase the number of new shows we bring out each season."

Note that Crunchyroll, which has users all over the world, also shares audience insights and engagement preferences with its production and studio partners. By doing so, they are able to create more content that fans are craving for in each of the different regions or globally. Purini points to Brazil, India, and Southeast Asia as emerging markets with large anime audiences and huge potential for continued growth, and Crunchyroll is focused on offering a variety of services, such as theatrical releases and local events and experiences, in these and other regions.

Finally, he summarizes Crunchyroll's vision for the future in saying, "We strive to be the ultimate destination for anime fans to experience the full breadth and depth of anime."