San Francisco – September 10, 2012 – At a time when streaming content providers struggle to find quality content that consumers will pay for, Crunchyroll, Inc., the leading Anime and Asian drama streaming service surpassed a milestone of 100,000 premium subscribers. The company has experienced 100% growth in subscribers annually since the service was launched in early 2009. Crunchyroll has tapped into the consumers’ call for access to premium on-demand video, across many devices, powered by its robust day and date multi-language video-streaming platform. Through differentiated content and user experiences around video, 74% of returning users come back daily and 80% of premium viewers visit more than 10 times in a week.

“I am absolutely thrilled to make this announcement” said Kun Gao, CEO and co-founder of Crunchyroll. “At Crunchyroll, we defied convention and proved the power of channelized content direct to the user. We proved that Japanese animation is not niche to be paid contents; that hundreds of thousands fans are willing to pay if they know legitimate distribution supports the creative community; that the simulcast of premium content windowed properly enhances the value of programs’ downstream; that programs’ commercial exploitation does not completely rely on dubbing into English or physical distribution, which were both previously considered a must. This milestone is but a small step in our journey, and I look forward to making Crunchyroll one of the most successful global online distribution platforms.”

Crunchyroll officially launched in 2009 and has become the #1 Asian content and lifestyle destination, with more than 8 million registered users worldwide. Launched by Berkeley engineers with past experience on numerous websites and social applications, including HOTorNOT and Slide, the company has been able to sustain and increase viewership with unique video and social experiences including mobile, social gaming, and forums, that foster interactivity around professional video content.

“Reaching the 100,000 premium subscriber milestone shows that consumers worldwide identify the Crunchyroll brand as the place to consume Animation online,” said Yukio Kawasaki, General Manager of the Animation Division of TV Tokyo, Japan’s leading broadcaster/producer/distributor of animated programs. “We value our partnership with Crunchyroll, and look forward to continuing to work together to meet the growing global demand for our programs.”

“We applaud this fantastic milestone for Crunchyroll,” said David Pakman, Partner at Venrock and Series A institutional investor. “In this era of media atomization, the executive team has proven new, profitable brands can be built around key verticals by super-serving customers and delivering an on-demand service playable on any device at any time. This is the future of TV.”

Crunchyroll titles can be accessed from Crunchyroll.com, the free iPad and iPhone applications, the Android application, Amazon Kindle Fire, Windows Phone, PlayStation®3 (PS3™), Google TV, Samsung TV, Roku, and Boxee. Its freemium model allows viewers to watch most titles in lower quality with advertising support. Premium subscribers enjoy same day as TV broadcast of shows in HD for $6.95 to $11.95 per month.

For more information visit www.crunchyroll.com.

About Crunchyroll, Inc.
Crunchyroll is a leading global video network and developer of social media applications for Japanese Anime and Asian media. Crunchyroll currently has over 20,000 episodes and 10,000 hours of Anime, Korean Drama and Live-Action titles available on Crunchyroll.com and Crunchyroll-powered platforms including iPhone, iPad, Android, TVs, set-top boxes, Playstation®3, and other devices.

Crunchyroll has offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Tokyo, Japan, and is the only foreign member allowed to join the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and Licensing International Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). Officially launched in 2009, Crunchyroll is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock, Japanese entertainment giant TV TOKYO, digital publishing leader Bitway and a group of angel investors representing some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com.