CrunchyRoll and Funimation to Merge Into One Streaming Service

Australian fans need to move platforms again

Emerging as one of the first big-name anime streaming platforms in the western world, CrunchyRoll has for the longest time remained one of the most reliable sources of the latest anime episodes direct from Japan. While other services were released to rival it in breadth, in terms of raw quantity, only recently did any other platform come close. In August 2021, Sony Pictures Entertainment, through Funimation Global Group, announced its acquisition of the streaming platform. While nothing immediately changed, despite Funimation Global Group now managing two platforms, changes are happening as of today.

From today, both existing and new CrunchyRoll subscribers will have access to library and simulcast content previously only available via Funimation. This expands the CrunchyRoll library with more than 50 titles (1,600+ hours), with future new series also slated to go live on CrunchyRoll starting 1 April 2022. In total, CrunchyRoll boasts more than 40,000 dubbed and subbed episodes of Japanese anime for fans to enjoy. While Funimation’s streaming service will continue to add episodes of ongoing series, future series will be exclusive to CrunchyRoll. This ultimately indicates that the Funimation streaming service will shutter in the future – although details have not been shared.

This is a bittersweet moment for anime fans in Australia and New Zealand, so soon after merging the region’s AnimeLab streaming platform into Funimation, having to move once again. While access to more content is welcome, the user interface was much better overall on AnimeLab compared to the other two… no gimmicks, just quick access to anime.

Current Funimation subscribers are invited to read this FAQ, about the transition, although doesn’t appear to be as seamless as the transition from AnimeLab to Funimation, requiring the creation of a new account and a separate subscription <scurries off to cancel their Funimation subscription the day before it renews>.

According to CrunchyRoll, the following (previously Funimation exclusive) works now available on their platform, include:

When we brought Funimation and Crunchyroll together last year, our top priority was to put fans first. Unifying all of our brands and services under the Crunchyroll brand globally enables us to offer more value than ever before as we combine subs, dubs, simulcasts, library, music, movies, manga—all into one subscription. The new Crunchyroll is the realization of a dream, and we are grateful to the creators of anime and the millions of fans who have joined us in making the community what it is today.

Colin Decker – CEO of CrunchyRoll

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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