In a somewhat, but no so surprising move Crunchyroll has announced an agreement with NBC Universal Entertainment Japan to produce original anime franchises. NBCU Japan has made a few hit titles in the past including Drifters, which is currently licensed for Funimation on home release, but could this new deal bring Crunchyroll into the DVD & Blu-Ray game? The streaming service currently holds a licensing deal with Funimation & Discotek to have their streaming licensed titles produced and distributed on disc, but the deal with NBCU Japan is different in particular because from the language, it sounds very much so like Crunchyroll would own at least 50% of the IP produced, whereas with the other IP they only own the streaming rights, and let Funimation/Discotek handle home media releases for certain titles. If the former is the case, this would give Crunchyroll the potential to enter the DVD and Blu-Ray market under their own label, or Universal’s label releasing titles exclusively to home media.  The first time a deal like this was made was when Crunchyroll partnered with Sumitomo. In the past the streaming platform has made investments into dozens of anime productions, but this could be the streamer’s first step in becoming a full blown anime licensor complete with original titles, licensed titles, and an original home media label of its own.