A Finance Strategic Moment
When pundits declared niche streamers doomed in 2018-19, Travis Page saw the opposite: anime’s passionate fanbase could fuel a standalone growth engine. He doubled down on a focused, rights-driven model, redirected capital to targeted content, and tripled Crunchyroll’s subscriber base while staying profit-positive
Made Possible By
Now watch our complete episode fetauring CFO Travis Page of Crunchyroll
Travis Page’s unconventional path took him from touring with indie musicians to structuring billion-dollar deals at Sony Pictures. Recruited to stitch together seven anime acquisitions, he became Crunchyroll’s CFO, tripling subscribers to 15 million across 200 countries while preserving profitability. Page embeds FP&A inside operating units, measures success by regional subscriber mix and box-office returns, and allocates capital with laser focus on high-demand Japanese content. A newly formed joint venture, Hayata, will boost the pipeline for global audiences. His finance playbook proves that a niche streaming service can outgrow expectations when strategy, data, and fan obsession align.
| CFO’s Strategy Playbook |
|---|
| • Embed FP&A deeply within operating teams. |
| • Balance subscriber growth with operating profitability. |
| • Invest narrowly in high-demand anime content. |