Sony-owned anime streaming platform Crunchyroll has revealed plans to further strengthen its presence across Asia by launching services in Taiwan and South Korea. The announcement was made by Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini during the APOS media conference in Bali, highlighting the company’s continued commitment to capitalizing on the growing popularity of anime throughout the region.

According to Crunchyroll, anime fans in Taiwan will gain access to a substantial portion of the platform’s content library, including its popular simulcast lineup, during the summer of 2026. South Korea will follow later in the year, marking another important milestone in the company’s international expansion strategy.

Building on Successful Expansion Across Asia

The move into Taiwan and South Korea follows Crunchyroll’s successful entry into other major Asian markets over the past three years, including India and Thailand. In each of these countries, the company has emphasized localization as a key growth strategy, investing heavily in region-specific user experiences.

This approach has included fully localized platform interfaces, extensive dubbing in local languages, and community-focused events designed to engage anime fans beyond the streaming experience itself. By tailoring its services to local audiences rather than simply offering translated content, Crunchyroll has been able to strengthen viewer engagement and grow its subscriber base significantly.

Localization Drives Growth in India

India has emerged as one of Crunchyroll’s fastest-growing markets worldwide, demonstrating the effectiveness of its localization strategy.

The company currently offers more than 900 anime titles in the country, supported by over 180 dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. According to Crunchyroll, localized content has become a major driver of consumption, with dubbed programming accounting for more than 65 percent of total viewing activity.

The company also reported that overall watch time in India has increased by approximately 3.5 times since it intensified its investment in localized content and services. This rapid growth has positioned India as one of the most important regions within Crunchyroll’s global expansion plans.

Thailand Becomes a Major Anime Market

Thailand has delivered similarly impressive results since Crunchyroll launched its fully localized service there in February.

The company stated that viewership in the country has quadrupled, making Thailand one of the most engaged anime markets in the world. According to Crunchyroll’s internal data, Thailand now ranks fourth globally in anime engagement.

A major contributor to this success has been the extraordinary popularity of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle. The film achieved record-breaking results in Thailand, becoming both the highest-grossing Japanese movie ever released in the country and the highest-grossing animated film in Thai box office history.

The performance of titles like Infinity Castle demonstrates the growing appetite for anime content among Southeast Asian audiences and reinforces Crunchyroll’s confidence in expanding across the broader region.

Anime Becomes a Core Sony Growth Strategy

Crunchyroll’s latest expansion plans are part of a broader strategy by Sony Group to position anime as one of its most important long-term growth businesses.

Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2020 for $1.18 billion, adding it to its growing portfolio of entertainment assets. Following the acquisition, Sony integrated Crunchyroll with Funimation, the pioneering anime streaming service it had previously purchased, creating a unified global anime platform.

Today, Crunchyroll operates as a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex, the anime production division of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The integrated service now boasts more than 21 million subscribers worldwide, making it one of the largest dedicated anime streaming platforms globally.

A Rapidly Expanding Global Anime Industry

The company’s growth ambitions are supported by strong forecasts for the anime industry as a whole.

Investment bank Jefferies projects that the global anime market will expand from approximately $22 billion in 2023 to $60.1 billion by 2030. This anticipated growth reflects increasing international demand for Japanese animation across streaming platforms, theatrical releases, merchandise, gaming, and live events.

Sony’s confidence in the sector has already produced significant results. One of the clearest examples came with the release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, which became a global box office phenomenon.

The film generated more than $700 million in worldwide revenue and established itself as the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Outside Japan, Crunchyroll played a crucial role as a co-distributor, demonstrating how the company’s streaming platform and theatrical distribution capabilities can work together to maximize the reach of major anime properties.

Strengthening Crunchyroll’s Position Across Asia

With upcoming launches in Taiwan and South Korea, Crunchyroll is continuing to build a stronger presence in some of Asia’s most promising entertainment markets.

The company’s success in India and Thailand has shown that localized content, language support, and fan engagement initiatives can significantly increase audience loyalty and viewing activity. By applying the same strategy to Taiwan and South Korea, Crunchyroll aims to deepen its footprint in the region while supporting Sony’s broader goal of making anime a central pillar of its global entertainment business.

As anime continues to attract new audiences around the world, Crunchyroll’s latest expansion highlights the growing importance of Asia as both a production powerhouse and a key driver of future industry growth.