Crunchyroll Store Australia
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing and distribution |
| Predecessor | Madman Anime Group Pty. Ltd. |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Tim Anderson, Paul Wiegard |
| Headquarters | Australia , Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand |
Key people | Tim Anderson (co-founder and former CEO) |
| Products | Anime licensing and distribution |
| Owner | Sony (via Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex) |
| Parent | Crunchyroll, LLC |
Crunchyroll Pty. Ltd., operating under the name Crunchyroll Store Australia and previously known as Madman Anime, is an Australian company focused on publishing and distributing Asian entertainment content. It licenses and delivers anime titles throughout Australia and New Zealand. Initially established as a segment of the independent film distributor Madman Entertainment, it currently functions as a subsidiary of Crunchyroll, LLC, which is owned by Sony via Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex.
During its tenure with Madman Entertainment
Founded in 1996 by Tim Anderson and Paul Wiegard, Madman Entertainment began as a mail order service specializing in imported anime, inspired by the achievements of Manga Entertainment in the United States and United Kingdom. The company initially offered titles on VHS tapes and became the second Australian distributor to produce DVDs internally, launching with Ghost in the Shell. In 1998, Madman expanded into television broadcasting, debuting anime on air with Neon Genesis Evangelion on SBS TV.
On 23 February 2008, Madman secured a distribution agreement with Viz Media to supply manga titles across Australia and New Zealand. This partnership concluded in April 2016 when distribution rights for Viz’s catalogue were transferred to Simon & Schuster, prompting Madman to discontinue its manga distribution operations.
At the 2008 Supanova Pop Culture Expo, Madman unveiled new distribution ventures, including the launch of the Madman Screening Room VOD platform, featuring School Rumble as its first offering. The company further diversified into Blu-ray Disc releases beginning with The Transformers: The Movie in June 2009. Additionally, on 1 June 2009, Madman produced an English-language dub of Tamagotchi: The Movie, although plans to dub its sequel were later abandoned.
In early 2016, to commemorate its 20th anniversary, Madman announced the establishment of the annual Madman Anime Festival, which took place in Melbourne on 3–4 September that year.
As Madman Anime Group Pty. Ltd.
Madman Anime Group Pty. Ltd. was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Madman Entertainment on 12 October 2016.
Co-founder and CEO Tim Anderson revealed on 17 February 2018 that on 15 November 2017, Aniplex—a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan—had acquired a minority stake in Madman Anime Group through a private share issuance.
Towards the end of 2018, Madman Anime entered into a distribution agreement with Funimation, becoming the regional distributor for select Funimation titles within Australia and New Zealand, while Funimation retained responsibility for licensing and localization.
On 6 February 2019, Five V Capital divested its interest in Madman Anime Group, selling it to Aniplex for AUD 35 million.
On 24 September 2019, Aniplex and Sony Pictures Television announced a collaborative venture to unify their international anime streaming platforms by merging Funimation, Madman Anime Group, and Wakanim. This restructuring resulted in AnimeLab becoming a direct subsidiary under Funimation.
Following the rebranding of its parent company from Funimation to Crunchyroll, LLC, the firm adopted the name Crunchyroll Pty. Ltd. on 23 March 2022.
On 29 March 2022, it was announced that the Madman Anime Festival would be succeeded by Crunchyroll Expo Australia, with the first event planned for Melbourne on 17–18 September 2022.
Notable titles
The Crunchyroll Store Australia offers a selection of prominent licensed series from Crunchyroll, LLC and its affiliated company Aniplex of America in the United States, as well as titles from Sentai Filmworks. Featured works include Dragon Ball, One Piece, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, My Hero Academia, Clannad, Fairy Tail, Persona 5: The Animation, and Spy × Family.
AnimeLab
AnimeLab Pty. Ltd. operated as a video on demand platform dedicated to streaming and simulcasting Japanese anime specifically for audiences in Australia and New Zealand. Initially launched in beta on 28 May 2014 as a project within Madman Entertainment, it debuted with a catalogue of 50 series encompassing 700 episodes, effectively succeeding the Madman Screening Room. During its beta phase, AnimeLab provided content without advertising interruptions.
Starting with titles exclusively from Madman's library, AnimeLab broadened its offerings on 4 September 2014 when distributor Siren Visual began contributing releases to the platform, beginning with The Devil Is a Part-Timer!. The service also simulcasted series such as Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works despite some licensing challenges.
On 26 May 2015, AnimeLab concluded its beta period and introduced a subscription model featuring both paid memberships and a free tier supported by advertisements. In August 2016, it launched AnimeLab On-Air, an anime-focused programming segment broadcast on Australian television networks, which was later scheduled for Monday evenings.
In August 2017, AnimeLab incorporated select shows from Adult Swim's archive; however, these titles were removed by 2020. By 2018, the service had amassed one million users and collaborated with the Australian Red Cross to encourage blood donations through the simulcast of Cells at Work!.
On 24 January 2020, Funimation declared it would discontinue FunimationNow in Australia and New Zealand by 30 March, transferring its content library to AnimeLab. Subsequently, on 10 June 2021, AnimeLab commenced rebranding efforts to become Funimation ANZ, migrating user accounts and staff accordingly. The original service officially ceased operations on 9 December 2021, consolidating its market presence under the Funimation brand.
See also
- Madman Entertainment
- Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow
- Crunchyroll UK and Ireland, the UK division of Crunchyroll formerly known as Manga Entertainment