Crunchyroll Takes Anime From the Living Room to the Dashboard

Crunchyroll is expanding into the connected car, bringing its anime streaming service to BMW and MINI infotainment systems through a collaboration with automotive app distribution platform Appning. The initial rollout covers vehicles in the US, UK and Australia.

The integration allows users to access Crunchyroll directly through the vehicle’s infotainment system rather than relying on a smartphone or external streaming device. The service offers a catalogue of more than 1,000 anime titles, extending a platform already available across TVs, smartphones and gaming consoles to another increasingly important screen: the car.

BMW and MINI are only the beginning. Appning plans to make Crunchyroll available across more than 40 automotive brands, with Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Leapmotor and Lotus among those expected to gain access.

That scale makes the announcement particularly significant for the automotive content market. Appning, which is owned by automotive supplier FORVIA, estimates that its technology is compatible with vehicles representing more than 20% of the market, potentially giving streaming providers a much faster route into multiple OEM ecosystems.

The expansion also shows how automotive entertainment is moving beyond music and podcasts. Video services are increasingly targeting moments when vehicles are stationary — particularly while EV occupants are charging or waiting — creating another environment where streaming platforms can compete for consumer attention.

For content providers, the opportunity goes beyond simply adding another device category. Automotive app-distribution platforms can potentially provide a single route into dozens of vehicle brands, reducing the need to negotiate and develop separate integrations for every OEM.

Crunchyroll’s move therefore illustrates a broader shift in connected-car entertainment: the infotainment screen is becoming another distribution platform for global streaming services, while aggregators such as Appning increasingly sit between content owners and automakers.