Proper Music Distribution (PMD) has signed a deal with global anime brand Crunchyroll to distribute its home entertainment products.
Proper, the UK’s largest independent distributor of physical music, will provide B2B fulfilment, invoicing and cash collection services for Crunchyroll’s DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD catalogue across the UK and Ireland, supporting distribution into major retailers including HMV and Amazon.
Crunchyroll surpassed 21 million paid subscribers globally in 2026. The deal comes amid rising demand for anime across the UK, with premium video collector editions becoming an increasingly important category within physical home entertainment.
“The agreement reflects Proper’s ability to efficiently integrate video products into its existing music distribution network – one of the few large-scale operators servicing both sectors to the UK market,” said a statement.
Proper is also able to reduce unnecessary packaging and transport logistics by combining video and music products into the same shipments to retailers.
Anime continues to be a hugely important and fast-growing category within physical entertainment
Drew Hill
The deal further expands Proper’s growing presence within the video category, alongside existing partnerships with Entertainment in Video and Wienerworld.
Drew Hill, managing director at Proper Music Distribution, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Crunchyroll to Proper. Anime continues to be a hugely important and fast-growing category within physical entertainment. Whether it’s DVD, Blu-ray, vinyl or CD, this partnership reflects the confidence that major entertainment brands have in our expertise and reach.”
Matt Burton, CEO at Venture Entertainment, said: “We’re delighted that Crunchyroll is now part of Proper’s excellent distribution network. Having worked with Proper for more than 25 years, I can’t think of a better home for the brand. As a wholesaler, we rely heavily on speed, accuracy and reliability, and Proper consistently delivers on all three. Their professionalism, attention to detail and commitment to customer service have made them a trusted partner for decades, and we look forward to continuing our successful relationship with them.”
Liz Bales, chief executive at the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), added: “The continued growth in demand for anime within physical entertainment is a testament to both the relevance of the genre across the entertainment lifecycle and the power of passionate fan communities. The physical market remains incredibly resilient, buoyed by highly engaged audiences and thriving sales of premium formats, with the value of the 4k Blu-ray market up 19.5% YoY in 2025. Strong infrastructure remains essential to connecting consumers with the content they love, and it’s encouraging to see continued investment in a category that is sustaining fans, attracting new audiences, and contributing to the ongoing success of physical entertainment.”
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.musicweek.com ’
