Crunchyroll Appointed Varun Sood Regional Growth Lead
The anime streaming platform has named Varun Sood to oversee subscriber growth across Asia and the MENA region.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in People
Crunchyroll has appointed Varun Sood as its new Regional Growth Lead for Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. In this role, Sood will manage subscriber engagement, retention, and membership value.
Why it matters
The appointment signals a strategic expansion for the streaming service as it looks to increase its international footprint and strengthen its membership base in emerging markets. Sood brings a background in media monetization and sports strategy to help drive these regional growth objectives.
Sood previously led a 13-member team during his tenure in sports strategy at JioHotstar. The scope of his new role encompasses subscriber metrics and growth across all of Asia and the MENA region.
The players
Varun Sood
He is the newly appointed Regional Growth Lead for Asia and MENA at Crunchyroll with extensive experience in media and sports monetization.
Crunchyroll
It is a popular international subscription video-on-demand service that focuses on the distribution and licensing of anime and manga.
The details
Varun Sood announced the appointment via a LinkedIn post. He previously served as the Director of Go-To-Market for Crunchyroll in the APAC region after joining the company in April 2026.
Timeline
June 2012 to January 2015: Sood served as Area Sales Manager at ITC.
January 2015 to November 2018: Sood worked at Tata Strategic Management Group.
November 2018 to December 2021: Sood was employed at EY-Parthenon.
December 2021 to April 2025: Sood worked in sports strategy at JioHotstar.
April 2026: Sood joined Crunchyroll as Director, Go-To-Market, APAC.
Market Landscape
This move reflects the ongoing expansion of international streaming platforms into emerging markets. It positions Crunchyroll to better capture market share by localizing its growth strategy in regions like Asia and MENA.
The appointment may lead to improved membership value and localized subscription offerings for users in the Asia and MENA regions. Subscribers can expect a renewed focus on regional content engagement as the platform expands its growth efforts.
The takeaway
Strategic regional leadership often serves as a precursor to broader content investment and localized marketing initiatives in streaming services. Readers in these regions should monitor for potential changes in subscription benefits or platform accessibility in the coming months.
Further reading
For more on industry leadership changes, visit the People section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bestmediaifo.
