Crunchyroll, the anime-focused streaming service, and VIZ Media, a company focused on publishing, animation distribution and global entertainment licensing, announced a home video and electronic sell-through (EST) distribution deal Wednesday morning. Under the deal, VIZ Media will distribute select Crunchyroll series through home video and electronic sell-through across the U.S. and Canada. (EST is the method of media distribution where consumers pay a one-time fee to download a movie or show for storage on a hard drive.) Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“VIZ Media, in partnership with Warner Home Entertainment, is responsible for distributing some of the biggest titles in anime. This partnership will ensure maximum exposure and monetization for our content partners’ IPs and empower us to super-serve anime fans across North America,” said Sae Whan Song, head of business development for Crunchyroll. “We’re looking forward to working with VIZ Media to broaden our distribution and to offer our fans another way to enjoy their favorite series.”
Crunchyroll, which is owned by WarnerMedia through Ellation, is one of the largest content providers of anime in the world. The streamer has a community of 50 million registered users and 2 million paying subscribers and a content library with more than 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes. In addition to licensing content like “Naruto Shippuden” and “Dragon Ball Super,” the company has a growing collection of original content produced through Ellation Studios.
“With Crunchyroll’s expansive catalog of anime in every genre and VIZ Media’s demonstrated success in sales and distribution, we’re excited to join forces to deliver the best titles to viewers any way they want to view it,” said Brian Ige, SVP of Animation at VIZ Media.
Established in 1986, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise.