Sony to acquire anime streaming giant Crunchyroll for $1.17B, here’s how you can subscribe and watch the shows
With more than 3 million paid subscribers worldwide, Crunchyroll is one of the biggest Anime and Manga streaming services on the planet and now Sony is buying the streaming giant from AT&T for a whopping $1.175 billion, as reported by The Verge. Sony will be wrapping up the deal through Funimation which deals in webtoons.
Shedding light on the same, Colin Decker, CEO of Funimation Global Group asserted, as reported by The Verge, “The union of Funimation and Crunchyroll is a win for anime fans around the world that will elevate the art and culture of this medium for decades to come. Combining these two great companies will be a win for fans and enable us to compete at a truly global scale. I am honored to welcome the wonderful Crunchyroll team to a shared mission — to help everyone belong to the extraordinary world of anime.”
Speaking about the new deal, Joanne Waage, General Manager of Crunchyroll, said in a statement, “We are excited to embark on this new journey. Crunchyroll has built a world-class brand with a passionate fan-base of over 3 million subscribers, 50 million social followers and 90 million registered users. These amazing fans have helped to propel anime into a global phenomenon. Combining the strength of the Crunchyroll brand and the expertise of our global team with Funimation is an exciting prospect and a win for the incredible art form of anime.”
What does Crunchyroll offer?
With an intention to entertain the anime and manga fans, the renowned brand offers over 1,000 anime shows, more than 200 East Asian dramas to users, and 50 manga titles as Crunchyroll Manga.
How to subscribe to Crunchyroll?
Despite more than 90 million registered users globally, many anime and manga shows are not available worldwide due to licensing restrictions. However, it does provide some anime titles for release on home video through its distribution partners like Funimation, Sentai Filmworks, Viz Media, & Discotek Media in North America, and Anime Limited in the United Kingdom.
For free users in the US, Crunchyroll is available with ad-supported streaming access and the new episodes can be streamed one week after the initial premiere. On the other hand, there are three options available to those who are willing to pay for the service. Divided into categories called Fan, Mega-Fan and Ultimate Fan, the viewers can pay according to the terms and conditions of these premium plans.
According to the official website, the basic category called Fan comes at a cost of $7.99 per month with an ad-free experience. One also gets full access to Crunchyroll's library along of over 1,000 titles and 30,000 episodes, including simulcast series that premiere day and date with Japan. Viewers will also be able to access Crunchyroll's library of digital manga.
In the Mega Fan plan, viewers have to shell out $9.99 per month where in addition to the above benefits, members will also be treated with offline viewing and access to four concurrent streams. They will also get a special benefit for the Crunchyroll Store which provides $15 off a purchase of $100 every three months. If one wants to opt for the Ultimate Fan plan, then they will have to spend $14.99 per month. With all the above-mentioned features, members will also receive an annual Ultimate Fan member swag bag, member-only access to the purchase of exclusive merch, and a special benefit for the Crunchyroll Store that provides $25 off a purchase of $100 every three months.