TL;DR, Crunchyroll announced plans to localize for Taiwan this summer and to launch in South Korea later in the year, the company said at APOS. The move follows its Thailand rollout and growth to 21 million paid subscribers.

From the APOS stage in Bali, Crunchyroll laid out its next Asia push. President Rahul Purini said the streamer will localize for Taiwan this summer and move into South Korea later in the year. The Crunchyroll Taiwan South Korea expansion marks a clear, two-step rollout.

The company framed the plan as part of a broader Asia strategy after its Thailand launch and recent growth. Deadline reported Crunchyroll will invest in content, localization, marketing, and community in both markets.

Crunchyroll confirms expansion to Taiwan and South Korea

Crunchyroll will move into Taiwan and South Korea, according to a Deadline report. Company president Rahul Purini made the Crunchyroll announcement at the APOS conference in Bali, Indonesia. Localization will begin in Taiwan this summer, with South Korea later this year.

The company plans to invest in content, localization, marketing, and community in both regions. Exact launch dates, pricing, and title lists are not yet confirmed. The Crunchyroll Taiwan South Korea expansion sets a clear near term schedule.

Crunchyroll has tested the playbook nearby. It expanded to Thailand on February 4 this year. The rollout added a Thai-language user interface.

It also brought many titles with Thai subtitles and dubs, with more added each season. That recent push hints at what localization could include for Taiwan and South Korea. But the company has not yet confirmed specific features for either market.

These moves come as the streamer grows and reshapes its business. On May 8, Crunchyroll said it had crossed 21 million paid subscribers globally. In March, it laid off employees after a restructuring and a redistribution of roles by location.

The company said the restructuring followed a change in its e-commerce strategy and was not a cost-cutting measure. Crunchyroll operates as an independent joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment in the United States and Japan’s Aniplex. 175 billion dollars in cash.

Funimation home video releases now sit under the Crunchyroll label.

Deadline did not specify exact launch dates, pricing, or platform details for either territory. Crunchyroll has not yet confirmed catalog specifics or a title list for the first wave. For now, the company set a simple timetable: Taiwan localization this summer, and South Korea later this year.

That clarity helps frame the next phase of its Asia rollout.

When Crunchyroll will launch in Taiwan and South Korea

Crunchyroll set its next Asia targets at the APOS conference in Bali, Indonesia. Company president Rahul Purini said the service will expand to Taiwan and South Korea. According to Deadline, work on localization launches in Taiwan this summer, with South Korea following later in the year.

This clear localization timeline signals a Taiwan launch summer window for the start of that work, and a Korea launch later this year for the next phase. The move continues momentum from its recent rollout in Thailand and frames the Crunchyroll Taiwan South Korea expansion as the company’s next regional step.

Purini said the company will invest in four core areas for both markets:

• Content
• Localization
• Marketing
• Community

Deadline also noted how the Thailand expansion looked earlier this year. Crunchyroll added a Thai-language user interface and made numerous titles available with Thai subtitles and dubs, with more titles added every season. Those details offer a useful guide to what localized service can include.

For Taiwan and South Korea, specific elements such as user interface localization and local subtitles and dubs are not yet confirmed. What is confirmed is the staged start of localization work and the broader investment in those four pillars named in the announcement.

The timing aligns with the streamer’s wider trajectory. On May 8, Crunchyroll said it had crossed 21 million paid subscribers worldwide. In March, the company laid off a number of employees after a restructuring and a redistribution of roles based on location.

It attributed the restructuring to a shift in its e-commerce strategy, and said it was not due to cost-cutting. The service operates as an independent joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment in the United States and Japan’s Aniplex. Sony’s Funimation Global Group completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll on August 9, 2021, and Funimation’s home video releases now appear under the Crunchyroll label.

Against that backdrop, the Taiwan start this summer and the South Korea push later this year fit a steady Asia expansion path rooted in recent growth and organizational changes.

How Crunchyroll’s Taiwan and South Korea expansion fits its recent moves

At the APOS conference in Bali, Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini outlined the next phase of the company’s Asia push. Localization will begin in Taiwan this summer, with South Korea to follow later in the year. That pace mirrors the recent rollout in Thailand on February 4, where the service added a Thai-language interface and many titles with Thai subtitles and dubs, with more arriving every season.

The plan also includes investment in content, localization, marketing, and community across both new regions. Exact launch dates, pricing, and title lineups are not yet confirmed, but the Crunchyroll Taiwan South Korea expansion slots neatly into a clear, region-by-region timeline.

This push comes on the heels of major growth. On May 8, Crunchyroll announced it had crossed 21 million paid subscribers globally. The company has stated it will make an investment in content and marketing in Taiwan and South Korea, signaling a similar playbook to Crunchyroll Thailand.

The emphasis on local user experience and ongoing seasonal additions in Thailand provides a recent example of how the platform can scale its library and language support. Details such as which series will receive new dubs or how fast catalogs will expand in the two markets are not yet confirmed.

Internal changes set the stage for this effort. In March, Crunchyroll laid off employees as part of a company restructuring and a redistribution of roles based on location, tied to a shift in its e-commerce strategy and not to cost-cutting. S.

and Japan’s Aniplex, whose parent Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and Sony Pictures both sit under Sony Group. 175 billion in cash, and Funimation’s home video releases now carry the Crunchyroll label. Together, that structure and recent realignment suggest the company is positioning to back its Asia plans with focused teams and resources, while it ramps its investment in content and marketing for new audiences.

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Source: ANN