Anime Is Now Mainstream: How Will Crunchyroll Adapt to the Changing Anime Map?

At Anime Expo 2025, Netflix reiterated its focus on anime, noting that half of its subscribers now watch the genre. Dan Da Dan Season 2 is airing weekly, with Leviathan, Sakamoto Days, and My Melody & Kuromi all launching throughout July 2025. Other platforms are expanding as well. In March, Amazon MGM Studios emphasised anime’s importance in its global strategy, naming Japan a key market. This level of mainstream investment represents a shift. When Sony acquired Crunchyroll in 2021 and merged it with Funimation in 2022, it created the dominant global anime platform, raising concerns about licensing concentration. But as mainstream platforms invest in anime, the landscape has broadened, and Crunchyroll must now prove its continued relevance. Sony scaling Crunchyroll Into a Global Anime Platform Sony’s strategy is clear: build Crunchyroll into the default global hub for anime. As of Q1 2025, Crunchyroll has reached 17 million subscribers, up from 13 million the year before. Growth has been consistent since its merger with Funimation and international rollout, which made the service available in over 100 countries. Its October 2023 debut on Prime Video Channels in markets like the U.S., UK, Canada, and Germany further expanded visibility among mainstream streaming users. Crunchyroll has also been increasingly bundled across Sony’s ecosystem, including through PlayStation Plus Premium. Since December 2023, select anime titles have been made available to PS Plus Premium subscribers via Sony Pictures Core, and promotional offers such as a free 60-day trial of Crunchyroll’s Mega Fan tier have targeted PlayStation users directly at Q4 2024. These initiatives aim to tap into an underexploited overlap: according to Sony, 30% of PlayStation users watch anime, but only 5% subscribe to Crunchyroll. Beyond distribution, Sony’s production capabilities play a key role. Aniplex, its anime planning and rights management subsidiary, oversees co-productions and manages licensing for major franchises. Alongside its in-house studios A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks, Sony co-produces and localises high-demand titles for global release.  Solo Leveling illustrates this integrated approach. Licensed from Korea’s D&C Media, it was adapted by A-1 Pictures and co-produced by Aniplex and Crunchyroll. Released in Japanese, the series was distributed globally and positioned as a marquee title in its international rollout. In late 2024, Sony continued to deepen this integration through a strategic alliance with Kadokawa, expanding access to high-profile IPs. This structure—licensing external IP, producing through Sony-owned studios, and distributing via Crunchyroll—enhances content access and international reach. Crunchyroll Chasing Growth in Emerging Anime Markets Crunchyroll is localising pricing, language, and distribution to convert global anime demand into steady subscriber growth. In the U.S. and Latin America, Crunchyroll benefits from early market presence and Funimation’s legacy brand. According to Dataxis, while Latin America shows slower momentum than Europe in...