Times Prime & Crunchyroll Target India's Surging Anime Fandom

NEW DELHI, INDIA – February 24, 2026 – In a significant move to capture the attention of India's rapidly growing youth demographic, lifestyle membership platform Times Prime has announced a strategic partnership with Crunchyroll, the world's leading anime streaming service. The collaboration, unveiled today, integrates Crunchyroll's premium offerings into the Times Prime ecosystem, signaling a major validation of anime's transition from a niche subculture to a mainstream entertainment force in India.

Under the terms of the new alliance, Times Prime members who subscribe to an annual Crunchyroll plan will receive an exclusive two-month free trial. This provides access to Crunchyroll's extensive library of over 900 anime titles, ad-free streaming, and simulcasts of new episodes shortly after their Japanese broadcast. This partnership is designed to leverage Times Prime's curated member base while expanding Crunchyroll's footprint in one of its most promising global markets.

The Mainstream Ascent of Anime in India

The timing of this partnership is no coincidence. It arrives as India's appetite for anime reaches a fever pitch, creating a multi-billion dollar market opportunity. The Indian anime market, valued at approximately USD 1.6 billion in 2024, is on a steep growth trajectory, with projections estimating it will surpass USD 3 billion by 2033, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 13%.

This explosion is driven by a convergence of factors, primarily the country's massive and digitally-savvy youth population. Millennials and Gen Z, who constitute over 65% of the population, have embraced Japanese pop culture with enthusiasm. India now ranks as the second-largest anime viewership market globally, with an estimated 118 million active viewers. The cultural impact is undeniable; a recent study found that 44% of Indian entertainment consumers aged 13-54 now identify as anime fans, a figure that rivals interest in established genres like K-dramas and even Bollywood.

The proliferation of high-speed internet and smartphones has made streaming content more accessible than ever. This technological backbone, combined with the rise of dedicated streaming platforms, has allowed anime to break free from the confines of niche online forums and become a staple in the digital diet of millions.

A Strategic Alliance in the Streaming Wars

For both companies, this partnership is a calculated move in India's hyper-competitive digital landscape. For Times Prime, which operates as an all-in-one subscription service bundling benefits across entertainment, dining, and travel, the inclusion of Crunchyroll adds a high-demand content vertical and strengthens its value proposition for a younger audience.

Harshita Singh, Business Head at Times Prime, commented on the strategy, stating, "Today's entertainment landscape is defined by personalisation, quality, and accessibility. Partnering with Crunchyroll allows us to meet the growing demand for anime among our members while enhancing the breadth and depth of our entertainment offerings."

For Crunchyroll, the alliance offers a direct channel to a premium, engaged audience. Instead of competing solely on direct-to-consumer acquisition, it can tap into Times Prime's established member base, reducing acquisition costs and accelerating growth. This is a crucial tactic in a market where it faces competition not only from global giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which have been expanding their own anime catalogs, but also from local players like JioCinema and its dedicated anime hub.

Akshat Sahu, Vice President of GTM & Partnerships Marketing for APAC & MENA at Crunchyroll, highlighted this synergy. "India continues to be one of the fastest-growing anime markets globally," he noted. "Through our collaboration with Times Prime, we're making anime more accessible to a highly engaged and digitally savvy community... strengthening our long-term commitment to fans in India."

Unlocking Anime for the Indian Viewer

A cornerstone of Crunchyroll's strategy in India—and a key benefit amplified by this partnership—is its deep commitment to localization and accessibility. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, the company has made significant investments tailored to the Indian market. This began with aggressive regional pricing, slashing its annual subscription cost to a highly competitive ₹469, a move that drastically lowered the barrier to entry for official, legal streaming.

Even more critical has been the focus on language. While a dedicated fanbase prefers original Japanese audio with subtitles, a vast majority of new and potential viewers are drawn in by dubbed content. Over 65% of Crunchyroll's viewership in India comes from its dubbed versions. The platform now offers more than 160 popular titles dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, making complex narratives and cultural nuances more accessible to a broader audience. This partnership with Times Prime ensures that these localized offerings reach an even wider pool of potential fans who might be curious about anime but were previously deterred by language barriers or cost.

Navigating a Dynamic and Nuanced Market

While the outlook for the partnership is overwhelmingly positive, both companies are navigating a complex market with unique challenges. For years, anime consumption in India was dominated by unofficial fan-subtitled websites and piracy. While the availability of affordable, official platforms like Crunchyroll is the most effective tool against piracy, it also means that audience expectations have been shaped by unrestricted access to a vast, albeit illegal, library of content.

As a result, a common point of discussion within the dedicated Indian anime community is the perceived difference in library size between Crunchyroll's Indian service and its offerings in other regions like the United States. While the platform provides over 900 titles, dedicated fans sometimes express frustration when a specific or classic series is unavailable. This partnership, by introducing a massive new audience, may increase pressure on the platform to further expand its regional catalog to retain newly acquired subscribers beyond the trial period.

Nonetheless, the strategic alliance between Times Prime and Crunchyroll represents a pivotal moment. It is a clear indicator that anime is no longer on the fringes of Indian pop culture but is now a central pillar of its digital entertainment economy, with major players making significant investments to cultivate and serve its rapidly growing legion of fans.