Crunchyroll and the world of anime: Licensing Italia interview with the globally important streaming platform
Animation & Characters other
It’s called Crunchyroll, it’s a streaming platform owned by Sony that’s available worldwide and specializes in anime. Crunchyroll is home to hundreds of anime series and movies, old and new.
by Eleonora Cerioli
From classics like “Akira” and “One Piece” to new hits like “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Spy x Family”.
In addition to streaming, Crunchyroll has the Crunchyroll Game Vault, a catalog of video games, and the Crunchyroll Store, an online store dedicated to anime, manga, and related items such as characters and apparel.
Licensing Italia interviewed Waell Oueslati, Director of Consumer Products EMEA Crunchyroll, who explained Crunchyroll’s approach to the world of licensing.
L.I.: Where and when was Crunchyroll founded?
W.O.: Crunchyroll was founded in 2006 in San Francisco, California, USA, starting as a dedicated platform for streaming Asian content, focusing on Anime. Over the years, it has evolved into a globally recognized and beloved streaming service for Anime fans worldwide.
L.I.: What’s your business model?
W.O.: Crunchyroll operates on a comprehensive 360 development model to provide fans with a rich consumer experience beyond traditional streaming services. While offering subscription-based streaming, we actively engage in various aspects of the entertainment, anime, and manga industry. This includes theatrical releases, manga publications, participation in events, e-commerce operations, and the management of consumer product rights for some of the titles available on the platform. This holistic approach reflects Crunchyroll’s commitment to creating a well-rounded and immersive environment for anime fans.
L.I.: What are Crunchyroll’s top titles?
W.O.: Our extensive and diverse catalog includes iconic classics and recent hits. While the platform does not hold merchandising rights related to specific hit titles that are in the steaming offer like “Dragon Ball,” “Naruto,” or “One Piece,” it offers a broad selection of popular series such as “My Hero Academia,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Spy x Family,” “Chainsaw Man,” “Death Note,” or “Captain Tsubasa.” Additionally, we regularly introduce new and anticipated titles, like “Solo Leveling” and “Kaiju n.8,” providing our partners with a varied and dynamic offer.
L.I..: How does Crunchyroll operate in Italy?
W.O.: The streaming platform has seen essential growth in Italy, with a 110% increase in paid subscribers within the last year. Italy being an important market for Manga and Anime, we adopt a two-step licensing approach. Initially, we collaborate with Pan-European partners with a substantial reach in Italy. As a title gains traction and popularity, we switch to a more direct approach with local partners or collaborate with local licensing agencies. This strategy enables us to develop the Italian market effectively, ensuring our offer of licensees and products resonates with the local audience.
L.I.: What’s Crunchyroll’s licensing approach?
W.O.: Our licensing strategy revolves around prioritizing the satisfaction of fans and rights holders. We are dedicated to selecting partners capable of delivering high-quality items and services that align with the essence of the content. Initially focusing on categories such as gifts, apparel, and collectibles during the launch of a new series, our commitment to providing the best consumer experience extends into a second stage. This involves the implementation of food promotion campaigns, stationery lines, digital categories like video games, and fashion DTR. The flexibility of this licensing strategy allows for adaptation and expansion based on a show’s popularity. We also support the sale of our products in stores through different retail campaigns, like “Crunchyroll Ani-May”, which will happen for the second time this year exclusively at Games Academy – Funside.
L.I.: What are some major licensing projects globally?
W.O.: Our licensing reach extends internationally. Notable projects include a thrilling collaboration between video game hit Fortnite & My Hero Academia. Additionally, the partnership with Funko Pop Figures across the broader catalog is a significant success, showcasing the widespread appeal of our content amongst collectors. Then we have an intersection of sports and anime with the NBA x My Hero Academia x Hyperfly apparel capsule collection, which stands out as a notable collaboration touching both Anime and sports fans. On a European level, our collaboration with Bershka from the Inditex Group is consistently seeing a release of a collection based on one of our titles almost every month.
