Crunchyroll quietly announced on Friday that it is ending one of the main perks of its free tier. in a spotted by , the company said it no longer plans to offer ad-supported simulcast streaming of new series. Previously free users could watch new shows shortly after their Japanese debut, as long as they were willing to wait a week and go through commercials. By subscribing to one of Crunchyroll’s, you can watch simulcasts an hour after their premiere in Japan.
In the near future, Crunchyroll will give free users access to a “seasonal sampler” featuring a selection of simulcast content from the platform’s upcoming Spring lineup. With that sampler, free users can watch the first three episodes of shows like . to look at Spy x Family† Dawn of the Witch and Tomodachi game a week after their platform debut until May 31. To watch all new and ongoing series in their entirety, free users must subscribe to one of Crunchyroll’s premium tiers, which start at $8 per month. All currently available content will remain free to view.
“We want to encourage as many fans as possible to discover new shows and see the full benefits of Crunchyroll premium access,” the company said. “Crunchyroll is making more than 1,000 hours available for viewers to sample for free through our ad-supported tier, and will continue to offer free content going forward.”
The announcement comes just weeks after Crunchyroll, following Sony’s deal to buy the service in 2020, said it had more than 50 Funimation series in its back catalog, and that any future shows acquired by Sony would be on its service. would debut.
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