Crunchyroll Is Anything But Angry About Netflix's Anime Push

A Crunchyroll Exec is a fan of all streaming services getting in on the anime medium.

By Evan Valentine

The anime streaming wars continue as many platforms house new and old anime projects alike. While Crunchyroll remains one of the premiere places to stream anime, Netflix has had its fair share of anime originals that are a part of its roster. In a new interview, an executive at Crunchyroll discussed how his company embraces the spread of anime in North America and the world, and how Netflix's exploration of the medium is a boon for the medium as a whole. 

Senior Vice President of Global Commerce Mitchel Berger mentioned Netflix in the new interview with Deadline when it came to how he was a fan of Netflix's live-action One Piece, "I was referencing the One Piece live-action adaptation, but the original series is also available on their platform. When we license content, sometimes it'll be on an exclusive basis, and we'll have a window of six months, a year, a couple years. Sometimes it's on a non-exclusive basis. So, it's both on our platform and other platforms. Sometimes it's on our platform first and then we license it to Netflix. So, it's kind of all over the place."

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(Photo: Crunchyroll & Netflix)

Crunchyroll x Netflix: An Anime Crossover

Berger then explained that anime becoming a hit on Netflix is ultimately a good thing for Crunchyroll, as more exposure to the medium is good for the entertainment industry as a whole regardless of who is providing it, "The way we look at it is that Netflix obviously has a large platform, a large addressable audience. Anytime that we can expose people to anime, I think it's better for the industry, it's better for us. What we find is that anime fans know instantly whether they're a fan or not. You're either really a fan or you're like, 'I really have no idea what's going on here'. So, giving people the opportunity to sample on a platform like Netflix and look at it, I think is great for the fans, for the industry, and it's great for us, ultimately."

Anime is growing at a rapid pace around the world, so it comes as no surprise that both Crunchyroll and Netflix are riding high on the continued popularity of the medium. It should come as no surprise that both streaming services are continuing full steam ahead with anime projects. 

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Want the latest updates on the anime streaming world? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest on the streaming wars. 

Via Deadline

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