Crunchyroll just struck a deal that parks 50,000 anime episodes right on your dashboard, but only while you stay parked.
The streaming wars have swallowed every screen in the house, so the only frontier left was the one behind the steering wheel. After a summer of locking its store behind a subscription paywall, the anime giant needed a win that did not involve raising prices again. It found one in the most unlikely place: your car.
Anime just pulled into the driveway
Crunchyroll and Appning announced the partnership on August 12 to beam its full library into vehicles starting with BMW and Mini.
The deal touches down in Asia, Australia, Europe, India, Latin America, and North America. Drivers can tap into over 50,000 episodes and 25,000 hours of anime while the vehicle is parked, since video playback locks the moment the car shifts into drive.
Crunchyroll“Today’s consumers expect their entertainment to be available wherever they are, including in their vehicle,” said Brian McGarvey, SVP of global distribution and business development at Crunchyroll.
“With Crunchyroll coming soon to global automotive partners, the anime experience will be even more accessible on every journey. Through this collaboration with Appning, we’re glad to provide another way for this passionate, global fan community to enjoy their favorite anime.”
The move makes sense once you look at the numbers. The company pointed to research showing that over half of Millennial and Gen X anime fans have stayed connected to anime for more than a decade, while over 80% of Gen Z teens consider it a meaningful part of who they are.
You will still need a paid subscription to watch, with plans starting at $10 per month in the US, and the app plugs into Appning’s Android-powered system, which already hosts YouTube, Spotify, and Zoom alongside its 300-plus apps.
The deal caps a busy stretch for the streaming service, which put its online store behind a monthly paywall earlier this year and now seems determined to follow its fans into every room they enter, including the garage.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
