Crunchyroll to Host First Anime Industry Summit in New York

Crunchyroll announced its first-ever invite-only industry summit in New York City on Oct 7, 2026, positioning it as a cross-sector conversation about anime's global future with Japanese and Hollywood professionals. The event, called the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, one day before New York Comic Con opens at the same venue.

Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum will function around the theme of “Designing for Anime's Future,” with sessions across technical advancement, narrative importance, fandom, and IP issues, as per Hollywood Reporter.

 According to Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini, the summit will feature “innovative discussions from and between industry leaders around the amazing art form of anime.” The forum will bring together leaders from the gaming, tech, and music industries, along with anime industry leaders, similar to an all-encompassing entertainment business summit that centers on anime.

The company has not yet disclosed a full attendee list, as of reporting. However, speculating from the description, leading anime studios and production houses such as MAPPA, Toho, Netflix, Disney, Pixer, Bandai, Production I.G., CyberAgent, Kadokawa, along with some smaller studios, can be expected to attend.

Crunchyroll Expands its Role Beyond Streaming With Anime Industry Summit

The New York anime summit reflects a shift in how anime companies and streaming operators are positioning themselves within the Hollywood and global entertainment industry. “This is the first and only type of industry event outside of Japan where anime is front and center for discussion,” Purini stated to emphasize the significance of Anime Future Forum.

Sony-owned Crunchyroll has expanded its footprint beyond streaming in recent years through theatrical distribution, music initiatives, cross-genre platform integrations, and international partnerships tied to franchises such as Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Solo Leveling. The company is also increasing its visibility through industry-facing initiatives, including Anime Expo panels, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, and worldwide Ani-May 2026 activations.

With Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, the company furthers its steps into the anime business, where it aims to take a leadership role in expanding the anime business in the West. The summit is designed to drive anime’s “prominence and success,” through mutual discussion between Japan’s anime industry and its Hollywood counterparts.

Crunchyroll’s announcement comes as anime continues its rapid commercial expansion outside Japan. According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the anime export market was valued at ¥2.17T (~$13.57B) in 2024, which the country aims to almost triple by 2033.

Crunchyroll itself recently surpassed 21M paid subscribers globally, underscoring anime’s increasing mainstream reach and demand across domestic and international markets. Previously, Tomohiko Ito stated that anime could rival Hollywood. With that background, Crunchyroll’s anime leadership summit suggests the company wants a larger role for anime in the world entertainment business through co-productions and advancement in anime offerings.