Crunchyroll and Netflix are two of the biggest platforms constantly vying for the top spot in the anime streaming ecosystem. However, Crunchyroll feels that its fandom-centric model edges out its biggest competitor.
Netflix recently emerged as the leading streaming platform for anime viewers in the U.S. and several other international territories, while Crunchyroll only secured a top-three finish in Brazil. The streamer managed this win despite maintaining a smaller library of anime titles than Crunchyroll’s massive catalog.
Though it missed out on the top spot, Crunchyroll Chief Content Officer Asa Suehira stated in an interview with Wired that the platform offers viewers something more than traditional streaming counterparts.
Crunchyroll Says It’s More Than Just an Anime Streaming Platform
“We are not just a streaming service; we are a platform that builds fan communities,” Suehira noted, explaining that the platform’s primary goal is to ensure that audiences do not remain passive consumers of anime. They are achieving this by building a thriving community around their product through interactive booths at major anime conventions across the globe, actively managing theatrical distribution and hosting live events to bring fans closer to the content they love in the real world.
“While streaming serves as the entry point, we place immense value on how fans can experience anime in the real world,” Suehira said, adding that true platform growth comes from capturing fans’ hearts through this “dual-axis approach.”
Conversely, Netflix remains focused on licensing existing titles and producing exclusive new adaptations for the platform, such as Sakamoto Days. While the streamer maintains an active presence at major industry events to announce new acquisitions, its level of fan activation is not comparable to Crunchyroll’s.
Suehira noted that Crunchyroll is seeking to build a flywheel business model. One of the ways the platform is achieving this is through the Crunchyroll Manga service, which launched in October 2025. The digital subscription service allows fans to access the source material for the anime series they love while also introducing them to new titles.
“By centering everything around anime IP and offering it to fans from every angle — via streaming, events, theatrical releases, e-commerce and music — we want to build a massive anime fan community,” Suehira said.
Crunchyroll Reveals How It Operates Differently From Other Streaming Platforms
Suehira also highlighted the operational differences between Crunchyroll and its competitors, especially concerning how they negotiate contracts with Japanese animation studios.
While Netflix uses flat licensing agreements and direct commissions to studios, Crunchyroll operates under a model centered on production committee investments and revenue sharing. This revenue-sharing model ensures that studios receive higher financial returns when a title succeeds, though some rights holders still prefer the financial certainty of flat-rate contracts, as revenues tank when a title doesn’t perform well.
Crunchyroll also shares detailed viewership analytics with creators through a proprietary platform called Crunchyroll Compass, which in turn lets studios and production committees plan better for merchandise and product rollouts and use the insights for future productions.
Netflix, however, has begun to pivot more towards a co-production model to secure exclusive anime content for the platform, as evidenced by its recent partnership with WIT Studio. This tie-up will culminate in the premiere of The One Piece, a remake of the long-running anime adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus, exclusively for Netflix’s global streaming service.
Meanwhile, Crunchyroll is continuing the journey of Sung Jinwoo in an upcoming Solo Leveling anime film, capitalizing on a franchise that made history as the first anime series to surpass 1 million ratings on the platform.
