Anime Subscription Site Gets an Estimated $8.4M in Revenue

If you’re not an Anime fan, you probably haven’t heard of Crunchyroll, a San Francisco-based subscription site streaming a blend of Anime, Korean drama

If you’re not an Anime fan, you probably haven’t heard of Crunchyroll, a San Francisco-based subscription site streaming a blend of Anime, Korean drama and Asian live action content.This niche-specific site has garnered 100,000 paying subscribers by offering viewers access to four out of five Anime shows the same day they are aired in Japan, reports GigaOm.With subscription prices between $7 and $12 a month, Crunchyroll’s annual revenues are estimated to be between $8.4 million and $14.4 million.But what’s interesting about Crunchyroll is their switch in 2009 from a YouTube-like clip and posting service to a TV licensing model. The site actually deleted all of its users’ postings and struck deals with TV networks and studios in Japan in order to provide the under-served Anime fan community with high-quality videos that were translated professionally (as opposed to user clips that were translated by enthusiastic fans).And like most successful TV subscription sites, Crunchyroll doesn’t just make its content available through desktop and mobile devices, but also Roku, Boxee, Google TV and the Playstation 3.In addition to its San Francisco headquarters, Crunchyroll has an office in Tokyo and employs 30 people. It has raised $7 million in venture capital funding from Venrock, Bitway and strategic content partner TV Tokyo, according to GigaOm.

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