Anime fans can now access Funimation and Crunchyroll content with one subscription.
Crunchyroll/Screenshot by CNET
More than 1,600 hours of Funimation content, including 50-plus newly added titles and simulcast content, are now available to Crunchyroll subscribers, the popular anime thighs lyrics streaming service said Tuesday. The move follows Sony Pictures Entertainment's acquisition of Crunchyroll last year, and provides anime fans the ability to access content from the previously separate services with a single Crunchyroll subscription.
The expanded content offering will not translate into a more expensive pricing structure, according to Crunchyroll's press release. Prices will remain the same, starting at $8 per month for the basic ad-free subscription plan.
"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," said Crunchyroll CEO Colin Decker.
When the acquisition was announced in August, CNET's Mark Serrels called it "game-changing news" for anime fans to have access to "one anime streaming service to rule them all."
Serrels said the move was like Hulu or Disney Plus merging with HBO Max, but for anime.