Crunchyroll caused a stir over the weekend when it announced that it will no longer be offering simulcast episodes on a free, ad-supported basis. Some users took that to mean that Crunchyroll, which was acquired by Funimation in August 2021, would become an entirely premium service. However, that’s not the case, Crunchyroll says.
In a statement to Anime News Network, Crunchyroll said it plans to continue to “make new content available for free with ads,” including episodes that were released prior to this spring. The new policy only applies to episodes that debut in both Japan and the U.S. at the same time.The confusion was sparked by a blog post outlining the changes to simulcast episodes, in which Crunchyroll announced that “for the Spring 2022 season and future seasonal releases” it would be limiting simulcasts to its paid subscription tiers, which feature escalating perks and ad-free simulcasts for users at $8, $10, and $15 levels. Previously, ad-supported simulcasts were available to free users on a one-week delay.
Crunchyroll does plan to offer “seasonal samplers” for select simulcast shows debuting in the Spring 2022 season. The samplers will feature free, ad-supported releases of the first three episodes of each show, which will be available a week after their subscription-only premiere until May 31.
Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs (April 3)
Tomodachi Game (April 6)
The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody (April 6)
The Dawn of the Witch (April 8)
Spy x Family (April 9)
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie (April 10)
A Couple of Cuckoos (April 24)
“Crunchyroll makes more than 1,000 hours available for viewers to sample free of charge through our ad-supported tier, and will continue to offer free content going forward,” Crunchyroll said in its blog post.
Earlier this month, Funimation was folded into Crunchyroll to create a new “anime super-service” with popular shows including My Hero Academia, Tokyo Ghoul, and Cowboy Bebop. Crunchyroll will be the main platform going forward, and will be the home to new anime debuting in Spring 2022.
For a guide on what to expect, check out IGN’s top 10 most anticipated new anime for 2022.
