Anime streamer Crunchyroll hits three million subscribers

Specialist anime steamer Crunchyroll has reached a milestone of three million paid subscribers globally.

The service, which is operated by WarnerMedia-owned Otter Media, also offers a free ad-supported service with a limited library. The full Crunchyroll product boasts the world’s  largest anime library with more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes. The service is available in more than 200 countries and territories

The announcement comes several months after Crunchyroll acquired a majority stake in VIZ Media Europe Group, which expanded its suite of consumer brands to include streaming services Anime Digital Network (in partnership with Citel, a subsidiary of Média-Participations) and Anime on Demand, DVD and manga publisher KAZE, and live action content distributor Eye See Movies.

Joanne Waage, general manager of Crunchyroll, said: “Crunchyroll’s global growth has been incredible. We launched in 2006 and it took us about 10 years to hit one million subscribers. It took us only two years after that to break two million, and even less than that to hit three million subscribers where we are today.

“But, we don’t just measure success based on paying subscribers. We have an active and growing AVOD community of over 70 million registered users,” said. “Our goal has always been to grow the love of anime globally, and these numbers show our labor of love is paying off – and this is just the beginning.”

Tony Goncalves, CEO of Otter Media, said: “Crunchyroll is a pioneer in the direct-to-consumer space, who for the last 14 years, has shown the industry first-hand what it takes to build a successful DTC business with a die-hard, passionate fan base supporting it. I am so proud of the entire Crunchyroll team for this incredible accomplishment and for their continued focus on harnessing the global anime community through authentic storytelling. It’s what makes Crunchyroll so much more than a DTC – it’s the preeminent Anime brand globally.”

In a further boost to Crunchyroll, a curated collection of its content is also housed in the recently-launched HBO Max streamer from WarnerMedia which currently has four million subscribers. The company will hope that titles like Death Note and Hunter x Hunter will attract new anime fans to Crunchyroll.

Of its inclusion in HBO Max, Crunchyroll’s Waage said: “The HBO brand is known for premiere content and innovative storytelling. By bringing series from Crunchyroll to HBO Max, we hope to introduce anime to a wider audience who appreciates compelling stories told through this dynamic medium. Together with HBO Max, we are delivering the maximum reach for these incredible anime series, and we can’t wait for new fans to fall in love with anime.”