UK Anime Distributor Crunchyroll/Funimation/Manga UK Discussion Thread

Bloomberg have an article about the current state of Crunchyroll
lots of interesting info, including:

Current or former employees describe Crunchyroll’s new management–primarily from Funimation–as out-of-touch with employees and the anime fans the company once prioritized. Some executives write off anime as “kids’ cartoons,” they said, and resist hiring job candidates who describe themselves as fans. Customers weren’t too happy either. Some were furious when Crunchyroll announced that digital copies of anime they had purchased through Funimation wouldn’t survive the transition to the new platform.

Since the acquisition, the company has undergone at least three rounds of layoffs. Current employees said Crunchyroll’s strategy is unclear, resulting in a climate of uncertainty and confusion. Just 39% of its workers surveyed recently said management has communicated a strategy that motivates them, according to internal poll data seen by Bloomberg. That was down from 51% in the previous poll. Another reorganization is planned for early 2025, according to two people who heard it is coming.
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Executives also hoped merchandising would help retain subscribers and boost revenue, current and former employees said. Viewers could binge on manga comic books between anime seasons instead of pausing their monthly fee or purchase collectible figures of their favorite anime characters. After taking over the anime merchandise retailer Right Stuf for an undisclosed sum in 2022, Crunchyroll’s online store was poised to offer manga, DVDs and toys.

The business has shrunk since the acquisition, according to three former employees. Among the reasons, Sony asked Crunchyroll to pull the racier adult manga and toys that formed about 5% of Right Stuf’s revenue.
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zappi said:
Bloomberg have an article about the current state of Crunchyroll
lots of interesting info, including:
Click to expand...
wow, i would like to hope they can change course but this doesn't look like they know what to do, also when you know (or should know) most anime fan's are teenager's who don't have money maybe it's not a good idea to remove (for the most part) the ability to watch anime for free a week after subscriber's, i remember Johnathan Clements complaining in neo magazine about people saying they'll unsubscribe because of it as an entitled attitude (which he's right) and if it didn't work then crunchyroll would reverse course but looking at this it would suggest those in charge don't know what there doing.
 
I sometimes feel the same attitude.

When I first joined the anime world .
I happily showed my love of panties and boobs and blokey comments.
I realised they weren't really welcome.
 
There are certainly issues, but a lot of that article seems poorly researched. Examples given of shows are years old, and I don't think the fact that Netflix and others have some anime is having any significant impact on what Crunchyroll can license or what they have to pay for it.

What they did to Rightstuf is certainly an issue and how they run their store is certainly an issue.
 
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