Streaming platform Crunchyroll launch could reshape South Korea’s anime market

SEOUL – Crunchyroll, one of the world’s leading anime-streaming platforms, is set to launch in South Korea later in 2026, a move industry observers say could reshape the country’s anime-distribution landscape.

The expansion was revealed by Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini during a keynote conversation at the APOS entertainment and technology summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Purini said the service will officially launch in Taiwan this summer, followed by South Korea later in 2026, although a specific launch date and details for the South Korean roll-out have yet to be announced.

While certain Crunchyroll services are currently accessible in South Korea, including Crunchyroll Games, the company’s flagship streaming platform has not yet been made available to local viewers.

Owned by Sony Group, Crunchyroll specialises in anime, manga and East Asian entertainment.

Since its founding in 2006 as a user-generated video-sharing platform, the company has evolved into one of the most recognisable anime brands in the world through partnerships with major content companies and rights holders.

Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021 for about US$1.18 billion (S$1.53 billion) and later integrated it with anime-distributor Funimation, which it had acquired in 2017.

The consolidation expanded Sony’s presence in the global anime industry and strengthened Crunchyroll’s position as a leading international destination for Japanese animation.

The platform’s growth has closely tracked anime’s rising popularity around the world. According to Statista, Crunchyroll’s global paying subscriber base grew from roughly 100,000 in 2012 to 17 million in 2025.

Its arrival in South Korea is expected to intensify competition in a market where anime-focused South Korean streamer Laftel has established a strong position, both in the anime landscape and the domestic streaming landscape.

According to a survey of South Korean smartphone users conducted by Wiseapp Retail, Netflix remained the country’s most-used streaming app in April 2025 with 13 million monthly active users.

It was followed by Coupang Play with seven million users, Tving with five million, Wavve with two million, Disney+ with 1.9 million, U+ Mobile TV with one million and Laftel with 830,000.

Laftel has demonstrated an unusually loyal user base.

Among viewers who subscribed to only a single streaming service, Netflix recorded the highest exclusive user rate at 48 per cent, with Laftel trailing closely at 46 per cent.

Coupang Play and U+ Mobile TV each posted 34 per cent as of April 2025, according to Wiseapp Retail.

Despite Crunchyroll’s global scale, some analysts believe its immediate impact on the South Korean market may be limited.

“I think Laftel is currently doing a very good job when it comes to acquiring anime content,” said Lee Sung-min, an associate professor in the department of media arts and sciences at Korea National Open University.

“From the perspective of securing key anime intellectual property, Laftel’s content acquisition capabilities are strong enough that Crunchyroll’s entry may have only a limited impact in the short term.”

Even so, Lee believes the longer term implications could be more significant.

“Crunchyroll is often involved at the production and financing stage of anime projects,” he said.

“It’s difficult to completely rule out the possibility that Crunchyroll could identify a promising intellectual property early, participate in its development and then pursue an exclusive distribution strategy.”

Lee added that the broader business dynamics of the anime-streaming market in South Korea could also shift as competition intensifies.

“Licensing costs for anime titles in South Korea remain relatively low, while the market itself continues to be fairly niche. Because the audience base is smaller, the cost burden has been manageable,” he said.

At the same time, subscriber loyalty is high, which means viewers are generally willing to pay for the content they want, Lee said, adding that the combination has allowed the market to operate profitably.

“However, if Crunchyroll enters South Korea and begins competing aggressively for licensing rights, content acquisition costs could rise significantly,” he said.

“Ultimately, the key question is how much demand and financial capacity the South Korean market can sustain (after Crunchyroll’s entrance in Korea’s anime market).” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK