Exclusive: Crunchyroll CEO Talks About the Future of the Streaming Service in India Including Plans to Bring More Localised Anime

The biggest anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, has recently tried to improve its presence in the Indian market. In July, IGN India spotted that the company had posted a job listing looking for an India Direct-to-Customer (DTC) Lead. The listing stated that the streaming company was “looking for a seasoned professional to lead its growth and operations in the Indian market.”

Next, the company introduced new subscription pricing on the platform which meant that it became very affordable with monthly plans starting as low as ₹79/month. The company brought two Hindi-dubbed anime, My Dress Up Darling and Ranking of Kings, which came as a surprise to many anime fans in the country. It also announced plans to add more anime to the region.

Crunchyroll CEO, Brady McCollum, spoke with IGN India to share more about the plans for Indian anime fans.

My Dress Up Darling and Ranking of Kings got a Hindi dub on Crunchyroll. What other shows can anime fans in the country expect to get dubbed in the future?

We are excited to introduce our very first slate of Hindi dubs on Crunchyroll for the romantic comedy My Dress Up Darling and the critically-acclaimed Ranking of Kings, complementing our ever-growing catalog available in the market including Naruto Shippuden and BORUTO:NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS, which are currently streaming with English subtitles. Fans can expect more content news as we’re working closely with our partners in Japan to expand our anime offering – including more localized dubs!

Will anime movies also get dubbed in Hindi?

Yes! Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO recently premiered dubbed in Hindi across Indian theatres and grossed more than $188,000 in its opening weekend. The film has been made available through our partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment India and is available now across 500 screens.

As I mentioned, we’re working with our partners to expand our offering of titles, including both anime series and films across genres. We also welcome fan feedback – if there’s a film or series you want to see, please let us know.

Apart from Hindi, are there plans to dub content in other regional Indian languages?

Through our market research, our team felt that Hindi dubs would be a good place to start and so far, the response has been very positive. Our team is committed to super-serving Indian anime fans so please stand by as our teams work to expand our anime offering and explore additional languages in both subtitle and dubbed formats.

Can we also expect to see simuldubs in Hindi in the future?

We certainly hope so! We know fans love to consume their anime when they want and how they want, and simuldubs is something that we’re exploring as we look for ways to super-serve our fans in India.

Are you able to name any series that is currently getting dubbed for India or is soon to get released on the platform in the country?

Our team is working on an exciting slate of upcoming titles – please keep an eye out for this news soon! We appreciate our fans’ patience and excitement as we work towards adding more localized content in the quarters to come.

East Asian dramas are extremely popular in India currently. Most of these shows that are being watched in the country are Korean dramas. Crunchyroll can be one of the few platforms that can popularise Japanese dramas in the country. Are there any plans to expand on that front as well?

That’s an interesting question and we’ve seen similar requests in other territories. Anime from Japan will always be at the core of our offering, but we’re open to exploring more series, genres, and content types if there is demand from our audience and we’re confident we can super-serve them.

It was mentioned before that Crunchyroll offers more than 5,500 episodes of anime in India. The platform also carries a lot of manga content. How many manga series are available in India on Crunchyroll and can we expect to see more getting licensed for availability here?

Currently, Indian anime fans can enjoy nearly 50 manga titles with more to come soon and new chapters added every week. Some of the titles that fans can check out include the smash-hit adventure series Fairy Tail, the popular dark fantasy Fire Force, the isekai series based on the light novel of the same name That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and the emotional and captivating To Your Eternity, alongside titles based on popular games like Genshin Impact, just to name a few.

Indian anime fans have been asking for a dedicated anime streaming site for years. How did Crunchyroll come to the decision to expand its India operations now?

Our team does very thorough research and analysis for all of our markets to better serve the anime community, and anime fans in India have been some of the most vocal in their desire for an accessible and convenient way to stream their favorite series. In addition to the fans in India who have been enjoying Crunchyroll through ad-supported viewing, we have been receiving messages asking Crunchyroll to expand our catalog and offering. We’re excited to provide Indian fans with the best of anime at the speed of Japan, while also exploring ways to expand our offering to include more theatrical experiences, Crunchyroll Games, and more.

Crunchyroll has offices in multiple cities around the world. Is India on the radar as well?

Crunchyroll is looking to hire our first senior employees to be based in India to help us provide more to our Indian community. We are privileged to be part of the Sony family and also count on the support and insights from Sony India, who already has a long tradition and experience in the territory. Our team is committed to Indian anime fans and this is just the beginning!