Forum - View topicNEWS: Crunchyroll Hires Former Discovery Digital GM Colin Decker as COO
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BlackPoint.
 Posts: 709 |
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Would be great if they had some sayin when it comes to sequels or perhaps adapting some manga/LN that deserve it *.*
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Catseyetiger
Posts: 779 |
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I after looking up the company I have never heard of before have to ask how is he qualified for the job seeing as the subject matter seems out of his field of area. Does anyone know ?
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srlracing
 Posts: 87 |
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What an interesting and uncharacteristically high profile hire for a company in the anime industry. His experience in content creation is exciting for anyone looking for more of the shows that do well in the West.
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#814635
Posts: 17 |
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COO tend to look at the bigger picture not exactly at the content, they mainly approve things and try and steer the company in the right direction. |
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2480 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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Yeah, this morning I was reading Streaming Media, an industry trade magazine, and in the article The Era of Me-Too Experimentation, which starts off grousing about there being too many Netflix wanna-bes, it notes that Crunchyroll stands out:
A few times when I've engaged with the magazine's writers or editors on Twitter, they're all aware of Crunchyroll, and it stands out to them for being a) a niche, and b) a ludicrously successful niche. While general-interest streaming video efforts have floundered (I saw Yahoo keynote the Streaming Media West show in 2013 and it was painful watching them flog these shows that nobody knew existed), part of the streaming industry sees Crunchyroll as a model for how to do it exactly right: find an audience, serve them well. Instead of trying to serve everyone, a niche like anime can be extremely rewarding. So I think that's, in part, why Crunchyroll really stands out in the digital video industry right now, even to people who don't know squat about anime. Aside: My co-author on a book about iPhone development is at a developer conference in San Francisco and tweeted that Crunchyroll dropped off some swag for the developers there. It seems like Crunchy is always looking to hire more software engineers. |
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CheezcakeMe
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I'm surprised more online companies aren't mimicking Crunchyroll's system. I've heard some experts voicing concern that a lot of big websites are struggling to make money from advertising alone but are wary of making their services paid subscription only, afraid they'll lose their audience if they outright ask for money. CR did both, paid subscription or free with ads and less perks. And it looks like they're making bank. I'm paid subscriber myself. Worth the price of a burger and fries once a month for ad-free entertainment.
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darilaho
Posts: 6 |
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This will be like when apple hired the CEO of Pepsi all over again.
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relyat08
 Posts: 4125 Location: Northern Virginia |
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Sort of surprised they didn't have a COO already.
Sounds like an awful lot of responsibilities for the guy. I know literally nothing about him, but it still seems like a ton to put on his plate right out of the gate. Especially with something niche, and easily misunderstood, like anime. It'll be interesting to see how much influence he actually has when it comes to creating original anime series though. |
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j Talbain
 Posts: 279 Location: Toronto, Ontario |
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With original anime projects means increase in spent revenue leading into an increase in the subscription price. Not that it would change my premium membership but it would make a difference for some. My big thing is if they favor their American subscribers with free shipping from the store and only going to US cons. They need to show their other markets they matter too.
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encrypted12345
Posts: 724 |
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Between, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu (I guess), Crunchyroll is my favorite and the one I actually pay for. Well, I have Amazon too, but that's only because of Prime, and borrow my family's Netflix account from time to time, but that's it.
I like niche shows and am disinterested in dubs, so I don't pay for Funimation. Also, Funimation only streams shows it'll release, so if I'm interested in a show they are streaming, I'd rather pay for one DVD set than pay for watching all of their anime. The others focus more on Western shows than anime. I do occasionally watch Western media, but I enjoy anime as a medium much more, so the services they provide are generally unappealing even if they have an anime gem or two. Again, better to buy the DVD than to pay for a video service just to watch one anime. Crunchyroll has the biggest variety of anime both old and new. It certainly helps that they stream Discotek stuff as well. $60 a year is a bargain for me. The only criticism I can really give is that they often license a lot of terrible anime with the good anime. You have to rely on word of mouth to decide what is good to watch, but I'm sure some people like what I don't like, and every streaming service has that problem to some degree. |
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LadyKuzunoha
 Posts: 91 Location: United States |
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This is true in many cases, but not all: Tatami Galaxy (licensed and streamed by Funi, no disc release to my knowledge), House of Five Leaves (streamed by Funi, disc released by NIS America), and Cute High Earth Defense Club (streamed by Funi and CR, disc released by PonyCan USA) are all examples of this, and I'm sure I'm missing a few others. On the Crunchyroll matter, I'm curious about what original content they hope to be able to produce with Decker's direction. From what I can tell, the closest thing to anime that Discovery Digital has covered in its programming is gaming. |
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relyat08
Posts: 4125 Location: Northern Virginia |
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Funimation offers a sub-only pass, which is what I pay for. And it costs me like $4 per month. I don't really even pay attention to it, since that is such an insignificant amount of money. Also, in addition to what LadyKuzunoha said, Funimation has also been streaming a LOT of Aniplex of America licenses, like Durarara, Asterisk War, Erased, and also Bandai shows like Iron-Blooded Orphans. They certainly do not only stream shows they will release. |
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DerekL1963
 Subscriber Posts: 1121 Location: Puget Sound |
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I'm not. There simply aren't that many niches that a) have a large preexisting fanbase, b) have a regular, significant, and ongoing supply of new material, and c) aren't being well served by existing methods. Crunchyroll also has the advantage that someone else (*cough* Toonami, among others) spent the money plowing and seeding the field. And even before that, the older generations of fans were hooked by shows that popped up on broadcast stations as far back as the 70's and 80's.
You don't want an anime fan in that position, there are too many business realities that have to be dealt with. OTOH, you don't want a pure business person in that position because there are too many anime realities that have to be dealt with. But with a little assistance on the anime realities the business person is probably a better choice because Crunchyroll is ultimately a business, not a fan site. |
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encrypted12345
Posts: 724 |
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@relyat08 @LadyKuzunoha I guess I was somewhat mistaken about Funimation. Still, many non-exclusives are shared with Crunchyroll, and their sub only subscription (4.99 per month) is almost the same price as Crunchyroll's yearly subscription ($60 per year). CR is still the better value IMO. Oh, and CR has some manga here or there.
So, any chance Crunchyroll hired Colin Derek because he bothered to research the anime niche or happened to be a closet otaku? I'm sure he has some advisors in any case. |
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relyat08
Posts: 4125 Location: Northern Virginia |
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I signed up during some promotion where it was $3.33 per month, I think. But yeah, I guess it is $5 now. And I agree wholeheartedly. I also have CRs yearly subscription for $60 and don't plan to ever drop it. It's the best value for my money I've ever seen. Almost makes Netflix obsolete for me.
Yeah, exactly. There is a balance there, which I think they have with Kun Gao and a significant number of their staff, who are both highly professional and big anime fans. As long as, as a business person, he doesn't assume knowledge of the industry without sufficient research and familiarity. I trust Kun Gao and whoever else is currently making their decisions though. I just always worry a little, perhaps unfairly, when someone who doesn't appear to know anything about this specific niche, jumps into a position of power. Funimation is currently dealing with a scenario where that really hasn't turned out well for them. Even while their CEO has remained the same and a lot of good people are still there doing their best. |
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