Highlights
- Crunchyroll surpassed 21M paid subscribers globally in FY2026, marking nearly 25% year-over-year growth.
- Anime films like Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc significantly boosted SPE’s theatrical and operating performance.
- Sony’s “Creative Entertainment Vision” positions anime as a long-term entertainment infrastructure.
Sony’s anime streaming platform, Crunchyroll, has surpassed 21M paid subscribers globally, up from 17M in 2025, the company disclosed on May 8 alongside FY2025 earnings. The nearly 25% year-over-year growth in Crunchyroll’s business positions anime streaming as one of the fastest-growing segments within Sony’s entertainment business.
Crunchyroll’s subscriber growth came as Sony Pictures reported relatively flat annual sales of roughly $9.9 billion USD for the fiscal year ending March 2026, with theatrical revenue dropping from $900M in FY25 to $494M in FY26. However, revenue from the Media Networks group, which includes Crunchyroll, rose 13% to $3.17B.
Sony also confirmed that, whereas Crunchyroll saw subscriber growth, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s (SPE) television and digital channels subscribers fell from 627.3M to 531.7M. It also said anime titles like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle helped offset the loss tied to the shutdown of visual effects company Pixomondo.
Anime and Crunchyroll: Sony Revenue Drivers in FY2026
Anime titles like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc dominated SPE's theatrical revenue. Infinity Castle alone grossed roughly $490.66M, combining all international markets, with Reze Arc generating $94.05M internationally (both excluding Japan revenue).
Crunchyroll further accelerated SPE’s operating income of $858M, a 11% increase in USD currency (excluding the loss from Pixomondo shutdown). A Nielsen report shows Americans streamed 4.4B minutes on Crunchyroll in January 2026, more than double the figure from the same month in 2024, further establishing the platform’s reach.
Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini emphasized that “reaching 21 million subscribers is a powerful testament to the passionate, global community that has embraced anime as a leading form of entertainment,” while discussing the feat. With the company offering immense discounts on membership plans tied to the Ani-May 2026 celebration, Crunchyroll’s paid subscriber count is expected to increase further.
Sony's "Creative Entertainment Vision" Formalizes the Anime Bet
During Sony’s corporate briefing, CEO Hiroki Totoki positioned anime as part of the company’s long-term “Creative Entertainment Vision,” which aims to connect content, technology, and intellectual property across Sony’s businesses. The strategy prioritizes IP maximization across digital and real-world spaces.
It also gives importance to a strategic partnership with Bandai Namco Holdings spanning production, global distribution, and fan community development for the anime business. With the Bandai Namco partnership, Sony is also exploring Gen AI and advanced technologies to increase overall “productivity per person.”
However, Totoki has confirmed in the briefing that human creators would remain central to the company’s entertainment strategy even as Sony expands AI capabilities. Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021 for roughly $1.175B and has since expanded its anime business through theatrical releases, licensing, and cross-platform partnerships. Hayate Inc., the Aniplex and Crunchyroll joint anime production venture, acquired anime studio Lay-duce in April 2026.
Crunchyroll’s recent growth and Sony’s declaration suggest the company sees anime not simply as a streaming category, but as a long-term entertainment infrastructure. However, the growth contrasts with Crunchyroll’s March 2026 workforce reduction, which was the platform's second round of layoffs in the same financial year, following cuts in August 2025.
