In a bet that a genre that has a broad fan base can be tweaked to provide strong profits, The Chernin Group has taken a majority stake in Crunchyroll, a site dedicated to providing online streaming for anime shows, reports Deadline.com.

Veteran media exec Peter Chernin said his group will “continue to grow the anime vertical” but will also create new channels in different genres. The piece adds that anime has a “mixed record for generating profits.”

Crunchyroll “aims to be the destination of choice for anime fans; in addition to videos it offers e-commerce, news, and social media features. The companies didn’t say how much Chernin is spending, but note that Crunchyroll’s senior management “will maintain a significant stake” as will TV TOKYO,” the story notes.

Peter Chernin