President of anime streaming service Crunchyroll, Rahul Purini , says that the service has had to continue to educate partners and advertisers on misconceptions around anime. Speaking exclusively to Mediaweek , Purini explains that similar to the gaming industry , there are a lot of assumptions and myths about who anime is for. “When working with advertisers, we try to help them understand that our audience is young, split evenly between male and female, they are highly engaged and very passionate,” he says.
“We also have to inform advertisers that our audience does not just ‘watch’, they are fully invested in the ecosystem of not only anime but pop culture. They buy DVDs, dress up in cosplay, frequent conventions, and spend more money on merchandise there. “However, it’s still very much a work in progress, because our model is not the same as general entertainment content or streaming.
It is new and we have to do the work to let advertisers know that while we are niche, the opportunity is there.” Crunchyroll is a media and entertainment company focused on bringing Japanese animation – anime – that is conceived and created in Japan to global audiences. It is an independently operated joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
While Crunchyroll might not be a household name, the company has operated in some form in Australia for almost 20 years. Madman Entertainment first br.
