Crunchyroll passes 4m subs; Elba collab
February 3, 2021
By Nik Roseveare
Crunchyroll, the anime streaming brand, surpassed the four million subscriber milestone in January and now has 100 million registered users.
The company announced three million subscribers and 70 million registered users in July 2020. The UK is among the top five countries with the highest number of subscribers.
Daily premium active users are watching 100 minutes a day on Crunchyroll – this has grown from 85 minutes a day in 2019. In addition, as of summer 2020, premium subscribers have watched more than 35 billion minutes of content in the past year.
Additionally, the brand has announced a new deal with Idris and Sabrina Elba to develop Dantai (working title), a dark fantasy animated series. The Elba couple will serve as executive producers.
“For more than a decade, through anime and anime-inspired Originals, Crunchyroll has been leading the charge for the popularisation of adult dramatic animation and we are fast becoming the epicentre for the next generation of animation fans, as is evidenced by our incredible growth in registered users and subscribers,” said Joanne Waage, General Manager, Crunchyroll. “Gens Y and Z have experienced superhero fatigue and are hungry for the new stories and ideas that our creators tell. This development deal with Sabrina and Idris Elba is another example of how we’re working with best-in-class partners to bring in new audiences and tell fresh and compelling stories through a medium that transcends genres and generations.”
“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Idris and Sabrina to develop this anime-inspired sci-fi epic,” said Sarah Victor, Head of Development, Crunchyroll. “It is a privilege to work with such talented, creative partners and we look forward to bringing this exciting project to life.”
The Elbas added: “We’re really excited to be announcing this deal on our first anime. We’re both fans of the genre and see a huge opportunity to create something unique for a powerhouse like Crunchyroll. The story of Dantai is our first collaboration as producers together and is one that is close to our hearts.”