Crunchyroll has stated that it would no longer offer free ad-supported streaming of newly released episodes. To access new or ongoing series, viewers must upgrade to one of Crunchyroll’s premium plans, which start at $7.99 per month.
Prior to the move, viewers did not need to subscribe to watch simulcast titles, but there was a catch: Crunchyroll would postpone the release of new episodes by one week for free users, while subscribers could watch them one hour after they aired in Japan.
However, Crunchyroll is currently prohibiting free users from watching delayed simulcasts. Crunchyroll’s policy is set to take effect this spring, when users will gain access to a “seasonal sampler,” or a selection of simulcasts scheduled to premiere during the spring 2022 season, including Spy x Family, A Couple of Cuckoos, and Tomodachi Game. Crunchyroll will provide the sampler’s first three episodes for free one week following their broadcast till May 31st. Any watching of episodes beyond the first couple will require a subscription, as will access to Crunchyroll’s entire simulcast program. According to Crunchyroll, all users can continue to watch episodes that were previously added to the platform for free.
It is unknown whether Crunchyroll will continue to offer seasonal samplers beyond spring 2022, or when this season’s episodes will become accessible for free watching in the future.
Sony, which also owns Funimation, acquired Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion last year, but the service has only recently begun to undergo significant modifications. Crunchyroll announced earlier this month that it would acquire Funimation’s anime collection in an effort to progressively integrate the two services. Although Crunchyroll states that it “will continue to offer free content in the future,” eliminating free delayed simulcasts is a bit of a blow to fans who have been using the site for years, and also increases the possibility that Crunchyroll will opt to charge for additional content.