For those with lives, Crunchyroll was an anime site which appealed to enthusiasts known as otaku who don't like images with alien faces to move much. It eventually began streaming only legitimate content, helped by investment from venture capitalists including former News Corp. President Peter Chernin and ownership by AT&T's WarnerMedia. Now the largest anime-dedicated streaming platform in the world, it was bought by Sony in a $1.2 billion deal announced in 2020.

The site was taken over by Sony who suddenly found that the whole thing was a huge money spinner.

The company's hit series, such as One Piece and Demon Slayer, have drawn millions of US and European subscribers. Now the outfit is setting its sights on India as a major growth market.

Crunchyroll has more than 100 million registered members, including 11 million paid users, after rapid subscriber growth during the pandemic when people binge-watched exotic content. 

The site's success should be a lesson to Big Content. Instead of trying to shut down pirated sites, it might be better to see them filling a niche which commercial companies should explore.