Crunchyroll, the Sony-owned anime streaming company and global fandom business, on Friday unveiled plans for a first-of-its-kind, invitation-only industry summit to bring together leaders of Japan’s anime sector alongside their counterparts in Hollywood, technology, gaming and music.
The one-day event, called the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, will be held on October 7 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, adjacent to New York Comic Con. The theme is “Designing for the Future of Anime,” with sessions centered around fandom, technology, storytelling, and intellectual property protection.
“Over the past several years, it has been clear that anime’s fanbase, cultural importance and place in the entertainment industry cannot be underestimated, and it is an essential part of the fabric of the global entertainment industry,” Rahul Borini, president of Crunchyroll, said in a statement. “Crunchyroll is honored to host and organize a forum for exciting and innovative discussions between and among industry leaders about the amazing art form of anime. This is the first and only type of industry event outside of Japan where anime is front and center of discussion and everyone who attends will drive its prominence and success.”
The announcement comes as Sony Group, Crunchyroll’s parent company, prepares to report fiscal year earnings later Friday in Tokyo, with its animation business becoming an increasingly prominent pillar of the Japanese conglomerate’s global growth strategy. Sony executives made animation a central priority for the first time at CES in early 2025, when President and Chief Operating Officer Hiroki Totoki appeared on stage in Las Vegas alongside Purini and Aniplex President Atsuhiro Iwakami to highlight the company’s deep commitment to the sector. Investment bank Jefferies expects the global anime market to reach $60.1 billion by 2030, up from $22 billion in 2023, according to the Japan Animation Association.
The company’s animation ambitions got a real boost last September with the theatrical release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castlewhich grossed over $740 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time and the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Sony Pictures took over distribution outside Japan, Aniplex co-produced with Tokyo studio Ufotable, and Crunchyroll activated its global infrastructure as a co-distributor — a collaboration across the Sony group that Purini described as a model for the company’s broader IP strategy.
Crunchyroll says the Future of Anime Forum aims to bring potential new partners and allies to Sony’s growing anime ecosystem, drawing Japanese anime studios, creators, distributors and artists into the same room with their international counterparts across TV, film, music, gaming, technology and merchandising. Details of speakers and programming have not yet been revealed.
The summit also expands Crunchyroll’s growing portfolio of anime-focused events. The company has hosted the annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards since 2017; The 10th anniversary edition is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on May 23, with a guest list that in recent years has attracted Hollywood and musical figures including Megan Thee Stallion, Bong Joon Ho, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller alongside the best talent in the Japanese industry.
Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2020 for $1.18 billion and merged it with Funimation, the anime industry leader that the Japanese conglomerate had previously acquired in a deal in 2017. The combined platform’s subscriber base has grown from about 3 million at the time of the acquisition to more than 17 million, and Crunchyroll has steadily expanded beyond streaming into theatrical distribution, licensing and merchandising. manga, music, games, and live events, becoming a one-stop destination for the world’s growing crowds of anime geeks.
