Companies aim for global audience

Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan (NUEJ) to co-develop new anime titles. The two companies did not announce any specific titles, but mentioned they are aiming for "international appeal."

NUEJ, previously known as Pioneer LDC and later Geneon Entertainment before merging with Universal Pictures Japan in 2009, is a home media distribution company and anime producer. Crunchyroll has previously acted as an international distributor for NUEJ-produced anime titles, including The Fruit of Grisaia, Starmyu 2, Drifters, Berserk and Seven Mortal Sins .

Crunchyroll announced a joint venture to co-produce anime with Sumitomo Corporation in 2015. It has since invested in more than two dozen anime productions.

As of February, Crunchyroll's streaming service has reached more than one million subscribers.