Crunchyroll

This article is about the streaming service. For the various related companies of this name and other uses, see Crunchyroll (disambiguation).

Crunchyroll
Logo for the Crunchyroll service
Logo used since 2024[a]
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of site
OTT streaming platform
Available in20 languages
List of languages
  • Arabic
  • Catalan
  • Chinese
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Hindi
  • Indonesian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Malay
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Tamil
  • Telugu
  • Thai
  • Turkish
  • Vietnamese
FoundedMay 14, 2006; 18 years ago (2006-05-14)
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
,
U.S.
Country of originUnited States
Area servedWorldwide
OwnerSony Group Corporation
Founder(s)Kun Gao[1][2]
James Lin[1][2]
Brandon Ooi[1]
Vu Nguyen[3][4]
Industry
Products
Services
  • Film production
  • film distribution
  • television production
  • television distribution
ParentCrunchyroll, LLC[b]
URLwww.crunchyroll.com Edit this at Wikidata
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
UsersIncrease Over 120 million
(15 million paying as of 2024)[5][6]
LaunchedMay 14, 2006; 18 years ago (2006-05-14)
Current statusActive

Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony Group Corporation.[b] The service primarily distributes films and television series produced by East Asian media, including Japanese anime, and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with a Japanese branch located in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Launched in mid 2006 by a group of University of California, Berkeley, graduates,[7] the service has over 120 million registered users worldwide.[8] Crunchyroll was previously a subsidiary of AT&T/WarnerMedia's Otter Media, and from 2016 to 2018, the service partnered with Funimation, which Sony acquired in 2017 and would eventually merge into its brand in 2022 after Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021.

Crunchyroll is a member of The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA).[9] "Crunchyroll-Hime", also known as "Hime", has been the official mascot of Crunchyroll since June 2013.[10]

Crunchyroll offers over 1,000 anime shows,[9] more than 200 East Asian dramas in over 18 languages, and formerly offered around 80 manga titles as Crunchyroll Manga, although the number of available shows varies by each country due to licensing restrictions. Crunchyroll passed one million paid subscribers in February 2017,[9][11] and has over 15 million paid subscribers as of 2024.[6]

History

[edit]
The original Crunchyroll logo used from 2006 to 2012, with the logo possibly resembling sushi

Origins and informal distribution

[edit]

Crunchyroll was first launched in 2006 and was initially a pirate site that specialized in hosting East Asian content. Some of the content hosted on Crunchyroll included versions of East Asian shows that had been subtitled by fans.[1][12]

In 2008, Crunchyroll secured a capital investment of $4.05 million from the venture capital firm Venrock.[13] The investment drew criticism from anime distributors and licensors Bandai Entertainment and Funimation as the site continued to allow users to upload unlicensed copies of copyrighted titles.[14]

[edit]
Logo used from 2012 to 2018. The logo was simplified while the eye symbol was introduced, replacing the sushi symbol.

Crunchyroll eventually began securing legal distribution agreements with companies, including Gonzo, for a growing list of titles. On January 8, 2009, after announcing a deal with TV Tokyo to host episodes of Naruto Shippuden, Crunchyroll stated that it was committed to removing all copyright-infringing material from its site and to only hosting content to which it had legitimate distribution rights.[15]

In 2010, Crunchyroll announced its acquisition of the North American DVD rights to 5 Centimeters Per Second. This was the first DVD release licensed by Crunchyroll.[16]

On October 30, 2013, Crunchyroll began digitally distributing 12 different manga titles from Kodansha through Crunchyroll Manga, including Attack on Titan and Fairy Tail.[17]

Chernin Group ownership and Ellation

[edit]
"Ellation" redirects here. For the company that acquired Ellation, see Crunchyroll LLC.

On December 2, 2013, The Chernin Group (the holding company of former News Corp. president Peter Chernin) announced that it had acquired a controlling interest in Crunchyroll for a reported $100 million.[18] The Chernin Group said that Crunchyroll management and existing investor TV Tokyo would maintain a "significant" stake in the company.[19][20]

Ellation (2015–2023)

On April 22, 2014, AT&T and The Chernin Group announced the formation of a joint venture to acquire, invest in, and launch over-the-top (OTT) video services. Both companies committed over $500 million in funding to the venture.[21] The new company was named Otter Media and became the majority owner of Crunchyroll.[22] On August 3, 2015, Variety reported that Otter Media would unveil Ellation, a new umbrella company for its subscription-based video services, including Crunchyroll.[23] Ellation's services included VRV, which debuted in 2016, a video streaming platform described as targeting "geeks, gamers and lovers of comedy, fantasy and technology."[24]

On October 22, 2015, Anime News Network reported that Crunchyroll had achieved 700,000 paying subscribers. In addition, the company announced that Crunchyroll and Sumitomo Corporation had created a joint venture to produce and invest in anime productions.[25]

On April 11, 2016, Crunchyroll and Kadokawa Corporation announced the formation of a strategic alliance that gave Crunchyroll exclusive worldwide digital distribution rights (excluding Asia) for Kadokawa anime titles in the upcoming year. It also granted Crunchyroll the right to co-finance Kadokawa anime titles to be produced in the future.[26]

Funimation partnership, and home video expansion

[edit]

On July 1, 2016, Crunchyroll announced plans to dub and release a number of series on home video.[27] On September 8, 2016, Crunchyroll announced a partnership with Funimation. Crunchyroll would stream select Funimation titles, while Funimation would stream select Crunchyroll titles as well as their upcoming dubbed content. In addition, Funimation would act as the distributor for Crunchyroll's home video catalog.[28]

On February 9, 2017, Crunchyroll announced that it had reached one million paid subscribers.[9][11] On March 22, 2017, Kun Gao took over as representative director of its Japanese branch, succeeding Vincent Shortino.[29] On March 30, 2017, Crunchyroll began to distribute anime through Steam.[30][31] On November 4, 2017, a group of hackers managed to hijack the official site for almost six hours. Users were redirected to a fake lookalike site that prompted them to download ransomware under the guise of "CrunchyViewer". Crunchyroll filed a first information report against the hackers.[32] On July 18, 2017, Crunchyroll began collaborating with the video-streaming platform Twitch.[33]

AT&T/WarnerMedia ownership and internal productions

[edit]
Logo used from 2018 to 2024. The text color was changed from gray to orange to match the symbol color while the shade of orange was made slightly darker.

In January 2018, Otter Media bought the remaining shares (20%) of Crunchyroll from TV Tokyo and other investors.[34] In August 2018, AT&T acquired the remainder of Otter Media that it did not already own from The Chernin Group; the company and Crunchyroll were thus folded under WarnerMedia (formerly Time Warner, which AT&T had also recently acquired).[35] In August 2018, the service announced an expansion into original content with the anime-inspired series High Guardian Spice, produced by Ellation Studios.[36] On October 18, 2018, Funimation announced that their partnership with Crunchyroll ended as a result of Sony Pictures Television's acquisition of Funimation and AT&T's acquisition of Crunchyroll's parent company, Otter Media.[37]

On March 4, 2019, it was announced that Otter Media would be placed under Warner Bros. as part of their reorganization efforts. As a result of said reorganization, the company and Crunchyroll became corporate sisters to the American cable channel Cartoon Network and its nighttime programming block Adult Swim, which broadcast anime under the Toonami brand.[38] Due to a subsequent reorganization, Crunchyroll was moved under WarnerMedia Entertainment, owner of networks such as TBS and TNT, in May 2019 so that its COO could oversee an upcoming entertainment streaming service from the brand.[39]

On July 3, 2019, Crunchyroll announced that they had partnered with Viz Media to distribute select Crunchyroll-licensed titles on home video and electronic sell-through in the United States and Canada.[40] On July 20, 2019, independent Australian production company Glitch Productions announced that they had partnered with Crunchyroll to produce their YouTube original series, Meta Runner.[41] On September 6, 2019, Crunchyroll announced that they had become the majority investor in Viz Media Europe.[42] Crunchyroll solidified this deal on December 4, 2019, becoming the majority owners of Viz Media Europe Group and appointing former Viz Media Europe president John Easum as Head.[43] It was later rebranded as Crunchyroll EMEA, with former Viz Media Europe brands becoming Crunchyroll brands.[44][45]

On October 15, 2019, it was announced that Naver Corporation's webtoon publishing portal, WEBTOON, was partnering with Crunchyroll to produce animated adaptations of its series.[46] On February 25, 2020, Crunchyroll announced a slate of several programs under their new "Crunchyroll Originals" brand, including anime adaptations of the webtoons Tower of God, The God of High School, and Noblesse.[47]

On September 5, 2020, Crunchyroll announced that they had entered into a partnership with Sentai Filmworks to distribute Crunchyroll licensed titles onto home video and electronic sell-through, with Granbelm, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma: The Fourth Plate, Ascendance of a Bookworm, and World Trigger being the first titles distributed through the partnership.[48]

Sony ownership

[edit]

On August 12, 2020, The Information reported that Sony Pictures Entertainment, Funimation's parent company, was in talks to acquire Crunchyroll from WarnerMedia for US$1.5 billion.[49] According to Variety, the amount was decreased to US$1 billion.[50] Later in October 2020, it was reported that Sony was in its final talks with AT&T to acquire the streaming service for more than ¥100 billion (2020) (US$936.55 million).[51] On December 9, 2020, Funimation and its owner Sony announced that they had reached a deal with AT&T and WarnerMedia to acquire Crunchyroll for around US$1.175 billion. The acquisition was considered to be a major consolidation of global anime distribution rights outside of East Asia.[52][53] However, on March 24, 2021, it was reported that the United States Department of Justice had extended its antitrust review of the acquisition.[54]

On August 9, 2021, Sony announced that it had completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll. Following the acquisition, Sony stated that they wanted to create a unified anime subscription experience using their existing anime businesses as soon as possible.[55] Crunchyroll confirmed four days later that VRV was included in the acquisition.[56] On September 23, 2021, Crunchyroll announced that they had entered into a partnership deal with Fuji TV for anime content development and production. The partners planned to start work on the new slate in April 2022 with anime-focused developer and producer Slow Curve.[57][58]

On March 1, 2022, it was announced that the Funimation, Wakanim, and VRV SVOD services would be consolidated into Crunchyroll. Additionally, Funimation Global Group, LLC, would be renamed and merged into Crunchyroll, LLC, with the Funimation brand currently in the process of being phased out in favor of Crunchyroll.[59][60] On that same day, March 13, Crunchyroll would start adding new anime titles, including Hindi or Indian English subs and dubs for India.[61][62][63] In the wake of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Crunchyroll and Wakanim announced that they would suspend their services in Russia as of March 11.[64] Its parent company, Sony, donated $2 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.[65]

On March 24, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that starting with the Spring 2022 season, a subscription would be required to watch new and continued simulcasts, with older titles featured on the site prior to this season remaining free to watch. It was also announced that the first three episodes of select titles would be free a week after their premiere until May 31.[66][67]

On April 5, 2022, the company announced that Funimation's YouTube channel had been rebranded as Crunchyroll Dubs and that it would serve as Crunchyroll's channel for English-dubbed content, while English-subtitled content would continue to be uploaded on their Crunchyroll Collection channel.[68] The company also stated that they would release an English-dubbed first episode of an anime series every Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET on the Crunchyroll Dubs YouTube channel, starting with Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World on April 9, 2022. Three days later, Crunchyroll announced that the Funimation Shop would be moved to the Crunchyroll Store.[69] On November 2, 2022, Crunchyroll collaborated with the instant messaging social platform Discord. The integration allows Crunchyroll users to link their accounts and display the movie or show they are currently watching on their Discord profile.[70]

On March 1, 2023, it was reported Crunchyroll received a dedicated button on new Sony Bravia TVs remotes.[71] On May 15, 2023, Crunchyroll partnered with the language learning app Duolingo to help users learn Japanese via anime.[72]

On February 16, 2024, Crunchyroll launched its official weekly podcast Crunchyroll Presents: The Anime Effect on all major audio streaming platforms made to discuss anime and its impact on worldwide popular culture.[73] Throughout February 2024, Crunchyroll launched its application for LG and Samsung smart TVs globally.[74]

On July 8, 2024, Crunchyroll removed the comment section across all platforms, stating that it was done to "reduce harmful content", presumably in response to backlash from users being against Twilight Out of Focus.[75][76] The following day, Crunchyroll announced its store became available across 34 European countries.[77] In mid-July, Crunchyroll unveiled a new brand identity, among them a new logo and new graphics, which took effect one week later at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.[78] The new logo uses a slightly adjusted eye symbol while the wordmark was rendered in a new typeface.[79]

Programming

[edit]

Original programming

[edit]

On February 25, 2020, Crunchyroll initially announced seven series under its Crunchyroll Originals label.[80] These are anime or other animated series that are either co-produced or directly produced by the company. While Crunchyroll previously co-produced anime titles, this list only includes those that Crunchyroll themselves officially place under the label. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the brand was quietly discontinued alongside the closure of the in-house production studios.[81][82]

Series released under the "Crunchyroll Originals" label included:

Title First run start date First run end date Episodes Notes Animation Studio
In/Spectre January 11, 2020 March 28, 2020 12 Adaptation of novel series written by Kyo Shirodaira. Brain's Base
Tower of God April 1, 2020 June 24, 2020 13 Adaptation of webtoon by SIU. Telecom Animation Film
The God of High School July 6, 2020 September 28, 2020 13 Adaptation of webtoon by Yongje Park. MAPPA
Gibiate July 15, 2020 September 30, 2020 12 Original work created by Ryō Aoki. Lunch Box
Studio Elle
Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You October 3, 2020 December 19, 2020 12 Adaptation of manga by Kenjiro Hata. Seven Arcs
Noblesse October 7, 2020 December 30, 2020 13 Adaptation of webtoon written by Son Jeho and illustrated by Lee Kwangsu. Production I.G
Onyx Equinox November 21, 2020 December 26, 2020 12 Original work created by Sofia Alexander. Crunchyroll Studios
So I'm A Spider, So What? January 8, 2021 July 3, 2021 24 Adaptation of light novel series written by Okina Baba and illustrated by Tsukasa Kiryu. Millepensee
Dr. Ramune Mysterious Disease Specialist January 10, 2021 March 28, 2021 12 Adaptation of manga series written by Aho Toro. Platinum Vision
Ex-Arm January 11, 2021 March 29, 2021 12 Adaptation of manga written by HiRock and illustrated by Shinya Komi. Visual Flight
Fena: Pirate Princess[83] August 15, 2021 October 24, 2021 12 Original work by Kazuto Nakazawa and Production I.G. Co-production with Adult Swim. Production I.G
High Guardian Spice October 26, 2021[84] October 26, 2021 12 Original work created by Raye Rodriguez. Crunchyroll Studios
Blade Runner: Black Lotus[85] November 14, 2021 February 6, 2022 13 Original work based on the Blade Runner franchise. Co-production with Adult Swim. Sola Digital Arts
FreakAngels January 27, 2022[84] January 27, 2022 9 Adaptation of webcomic written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Paul Duffield. Crunchyroll Studios
Shenmue: The Animation[86] February 6, 2022 May 1, 2022 13 Adaptation of the Shenmue video game series by Yu Suzuki. Co-production with Adult Swim. Telecom Animation Film
Meiji Gekken: 1874 January 14, 2024 March 24, 2024 10 Original work created by Tsukasa Sakurai and Naoki Tozuka. Produced under the working title Meiji Gekken: Sword and Gun.[80] Tsumugi Akita Anime Lab

Crunchyroll Channel

[edit]
Crunchyroll Channel
TypeFAST streaming television channel
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersDallas, Texas
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080p HDTV
(downscaled to letterboxed 480p for older programming)
Ownership
OwnerSony Pictures Entertainment[c]
Aniplex (Sony Music Entertainment Japan)[d]
ParentCrunchyroll, LLC
Game Show Network, LLC
Sister channels
History
LaunchedOctober 11, 2023; 13 months ago (2023-10-11)
Availability
Streaming media
The Roku ChannelChannel 778
LG ChannelsChannel 261
Vizio WatchFree+Channel 775
Amazon FreeveeNone
Pluto TVNone

On October 4, 2023, Sony announced it would launch a Crunchyroll-branded free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, colloquially referred to as the Crunchyroll Channel, under a partnership between its Crunchyroll, LLC and Game Show Network, LLC divisions.[87][e]

The linear channel launched on October 11 for The Roku Channel, LG Channels, and Vizio WatchFree+ platforms. The channel later became available on Amazon Freevee on October 17 and on Pluto TV on February 5, 2024.[88][89] The initial programming lineup featured English-dubbed versions of anime titles such as Horimiya, Ranking of Kings, Moriarty the Patriot, Psycho-Pass, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, To Your Eternity, and Code Geass.[90][91]

Device support and service features

[edit]

Crunchyroll is available worldwide (except for parts of Asia, Russia, and Belarus) and can be accessed via an internet browser on PCs, while Crunchyroll apps are available on various platforms, including Blu-ray disc players, mobile devices such as iOS/iPadOS, Android, and Windows Phone, game consoles such as Xbox (Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S), PlayStation (4/5 and PlayStation Vita), and Nintendo (Nintendo Switch). It is also compatible with Windows and macOS operating systems for desktop and laptop devices. Additionally, it is available on Smart TVs made by LG, Samsung and Sony, as well as on media players such as Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Tizen OS, and Android TV and on external players including the Xiaomi Mi Box S and the Nvidia Shield TV, among others. In addition, virtual reality headsets running visionOS are also supported.[92] Furthermore, it is available via Prime Video Channels in the U.S., Canada, Sweden and the U.K., followed by additional territories throughout 2024.[93]

The Anime Awards

[edit]
Main article: Crunchyroll Anime Awards

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards are annual awards given to anime from the previous year. The awards were first held in January 2017. Crunchyroll selects twenty judges from diverse backgrounds, who then create a list of six nominees within each category. This list is then made available to the public, who votes online to choose the winners.[94]

Crunchyroll Expo

[edit]
Main article: Crunchyroll Expo
The Crunchyroll Store at Crunchyroll Expo 2017

Crunchyroll Expo (CRX) is an anime convention held annually in San Jose, California since 2017. Crunchyroll initially contracted LeftField Media to produce the convention, before partnering with ReedPop since 2020.[95] Crunchyroll Expo 2019 premiered the movie Blackfox and the Mob Psycho 100 II original video animation, while Toei Animation organized a screening of the movies Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku and Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn.[96][97] Conventions in 2020 and 2021 were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[98][99] Crunchyroll held an expo in Australia in 2022.[100] On February 2, 2023, six months after announcing the dates and location, Crunchyroll revealed that its 2023 flagship event in San Jose would be cancelled in an effort to "focus on attending a growing roster of expos and festivals around the world".[101]

Reception

[edit]

Crunchyroll has been generally well-received as a streaming service dedicated to anime. IGN highlighted its simulcast streams of new shows as they air in Japan.[102] While PCMag was impressed by the selection of shows available, their reviewers felt that the user interface was too cluttered.[103]

Crunchyroll Originals have been less well-received. Callum May of Anime News Network outlined the production issues that Originals have faced, both for internal productions and U.S.-Japan co-productions.[81]

Controversies

[edit]

Crunchyroll has been accused of union busting and other anti-union practices in its English dubbing work.[104] After shifting to at-home recording during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crunchyroll announced a return to studio recording in May 2022.[105] Following this shift, Crunchyroll began to primarily hire Texas-based actors to use their Texas studio. Since Texas is a right-to-work state, the Coalition of Dubbing Actors (CODA) alleged that this policy shift was an attempt to thwart union organization among dubbing actors and encouraged them to pressure Crunchyroll to sign a union contract with SAG-AFTRA.[105] In September 2022, Crunchyroll fired Kyle McCarley from his role as the protagonist of Mob Psycho 100. McCarley, who is a member of SAG-AFTRA, had offered to work on a non-union contract for the third season, on the condition that Crunchyroll meet with SAG-AFTRA representatives to discuss potential future contracts but Crunchyroll refused.[106][107][108][109] In June 2023, Crunchyroll unlawfully forbade the developers of the Tower of God: New World mobile game to cast the voice actors from the anime because the game production was covered by a union contract.[110]

Since the Sony acquisition, the United States Department of Justice reviewed Sony's plan to combine Funimation and Crunchyroll into one service as a possible antitrust case.[111] The Coalition of Dubbing Actors called the merged company a "chokepoint of power" in the dubbing industry.[105] Comic Book Resources called the merger a monopoly and observed that it resulted in increased prices for existing Funimation customers, despite being available in fewer countries.[112] In February 2024, Crunchyroll announced that it would not be honoring Funimation customers' digital purchases of anime, leading to a backlash.[113]

In October 2024, Crunchyroll was accused of mail theft by voice actor David Wald. According to Wald, for five years the company received fan mail meant for him and gave the items to staff instead.[114] Crunchyroll stated that they did not intentionally open mail intended to others and were investigating the situation.[115] A couple of weeks later, Wald announced he left his role as the English voice actor of Gajeel Redfox in Fairy Tail and he would not return to Crunchyroll's studio following the accusation.[116]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The logo's eye symbol, which has been in use since 2012, was slightly adjusted, while the wordmark was rendered in a new typeface.
  2. ^ a b Crunchyroll, LLC operates but does not directly own the brand's namesake OTT streaming platform. Instead, both the company and service are owned by a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan (through Aniplex).
  3. ^ Through its ownerships of Crunchyroll, LLC and Game Show Network, LLC, itself a segment of the Sony Pictures Television Networks division of Sony Pictures Television.
  4. ^ Through its ownership of Crunchyroll, LLC.
  5. ^ Sony owns Crunchyroll, LLC and Game Show Network, LLC through different divisions of the company. Crunchyroll, LLC is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex, while Game Show Network, LLC is owned by the Sony Pictures Television Networks division of Sony Pictures Television.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Now Playing:Anime Online". Forbes. August 5, 2009. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "How to change language on Crunchyroll". Technobezz. June 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  3. ^ McCarthy, John (April 21, 2020). "Anime brand Crunchyroll shows the potential of niche streaming at scale". The Drum. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  4. ^ Bertschy, Zac (March 25, 2008). "Interview: Crunchyroll's Vu Nguyen". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "Crunchyroll Reaches 5 Million Subscribers, Announces New Project". Crunchyroll. August 3, 2021. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Crunchyroll Officially Surpasses 15 Million Subscribers". Crunchyroll. August 7, 2024. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Crunchyroll CEO: Making Online Anime Pay". ICv2. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  8. ^ Spangler, Todd (February 2, 2021). "Crunchyroll Inks Deal With Idris and Sabrina Elba for Dark Fantasy Anime Series". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "Largest Anime Streaming Service Crunchyroll Surpasses One Million Paid Subscribers". Crunchyroll. February 9, 2017. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Fobian, Peter (June 6, 2018). "The Origin of Crunchyroll Hime". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Sevakis, Justin (February 13, 2017). "How Big Of A Deal Is Crunchyroll Reaching A Million Subscribers?". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  12. ^ Morrison, Chris (September 6, 2007). "Crunchyroll, for pirated anime content". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  13. ^ Sevakis, Justin (March 11, 2008). "Video Site with Unauthorized Anime Gets US$4M Capital". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  14. ^ Loo, Egan (March 12, 2008). "Funimation, Bandai Entertainment Respond on Crunchyroll". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  15. ^ Loo, Egan (November 17, 2008). "TV Tokyo to Stream Naruto via Crunchyroll Worldwide". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  16. ^ Loo, Egan (August 13, 2010). "Crunchyroll Adds Shinkai's 5 Centimeters per Second DVD". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  17. ^ Marcias, Patrick. "It's Here! Crunchyroll Manga is Now Open!". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  18. ^ Glover, Ronald (December 2, 2013). "Chernin buys anime site Crunchyroll to expand online video assets". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  19. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 3, 2013). "Chernin Group Purchases Majority Stake in Crunchyroll". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  20. ^ Lieberman, David (December 2, 2013). "Peter Chernin Takes Control Of Anime Provider Crunchyroll". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  21. ^ "The Chernin Group and AT&T Create New Venture to Acquire, Invest In and Launch Online Video Businesses". AT&T. April 22, 2014. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 14, 2014). "AT&T-Chernin Group's Otter Media Online-Video Venture Acquires Creativebug for $10 Mil". Variety. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  23. ^ Roettgers, Janko (August 3, 2015). "Chernin, AT&T Set Brand for New Online Video Venture: Ellation". Variety. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  24. ^ Baumgartner, Jeff (June 20, 2016). "Ellation Will Ride SVOD's Next Wave". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  25. ^
  26. ^ "Crunchyroll and KADOKAWA Enter into Strategic Alliance". Crunchyroll. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  27. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 1, 2016). "Crunchyroll To Dub, Release Anime on BD/DVD". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  28. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 8, 2016). "Crunchyroll, Funimation Announce Partnership to Share Content Via Streaming, Home Video, Est". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  29. ^ "Crunchyroll's Japanese Head Steps Down". Anime News Network. March 22, 2017. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  30. ^ "Steam's anime library gets better, thanks to Crunchyroll". Polygon. March 31, 2017. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  31. ^ "Steam Anime Sale 2017". Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  32. ^ Gach, Ethan (November 4, 2017). "Crunchyroll Website Currently Down Following Malware Attacks". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  33. ^ "Crunchyroll brings 19 full seasons of anime hits to Twitch". blog.twitch.tv. July 18, 2017. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  34. ^ "Majority Owner Otter Media Buys Remaining Shares Of Fullscreen, Ellation - Tubefilter". Tubefilter. January 25, 2018. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  35. ^ Patrick Hipes (August 7, 2018). "AT&T Acquires Rest Of Otter Media To Fold Into New WarnerMedia". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  36. ^ Haasch Palmer (August 22, 2018). "Crunchyroll to produce original content, starting in 2019". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  37. ^ Ressler, Karen (October 18, 2018). "Funimation, Crunchyroll End Content Sharing Partnership". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  38. ^ Frank, Allegra (March 12, 2019). "Adult Swim and Crunchyroll are hooking up to bring more anime to TV". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  39. ^ Spangler, Todd (May 31, 2019). "WarnerMedia Reorg Gives Otter Media's Tony Goncalves Oversight of Streaming Service Development". Variety. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  40. ^ Lopez, Matt (July 3, 2019). "Crunchyroll and VIZ Media Partner on Home Video and EST Distribution (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  41. ^ SMG4 [@smg4official] (July 19, 2019). "I guess the cat's out of the bag now. I'm so happy to announce that we've partnered up with @Crunchyroll to help develop Meta Runner! Meta Runner will still be released completely for free exclusively on http://www.youtube.com/smg4 on July 25th. 6 Days left.pic.twitter.com/zFDCKK8K84" (Tweet). Retrieved July 25, 2019 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  42. ^ Coats, Cayla (September 6, 2019). "Crunchyroll and VIZ Media Europe Group Enter a New Relationship". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  43. ^ "Crunchyroll Becomes Majority Owner of VIZ Media Europe Group". Crunchyroll. December 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  44. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 2, 2020). "Viz Media Europe SAS Changes Name to Crunchyroll SAS". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  45. ^ "JAPANESE ENTERTAINMENT EMEA LEADER VIZ MEDIA EUROPE REBRANDS AS CRUNCHYROLL". Crunchyroll SAS. April 2, 2020. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  46. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (October 15, 2019). "Crunchyroll Joins Forces With WEBTOON for New Animated Content". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  47. ^ "Crunchyroll Unveils 7 'Crunchyroll Originals' Works Including Tower of God, Noblesse, God of High School". Anime News Network. July 5, 2023. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  48. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 5, 2020). "Crunchyroll, Sentai Filmworks Partner for Home Video Releases". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  49. ^ Toonkel, Jessica; Dotan, Tom (August 12, 2020). "AT&T Wants $1.5 Billion in Crunchyroll Sale to Sony". The Information. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020. AT&T is in discussions to sell WarnerMedia's Crunchyroll Japanese anime-streaming service to Sony, according to three people familiar with the situation. If the two sides could reach a deal—which is far from certain—it would strengthen Sony's position in the niche market, as it already owns a rival anime service called Funimation. But there's a sticking point in the potential deal: price. AT&T is asking $1.5 billion, an amount that Sony has balked at, the people said.
  50. ^ Spangler, Todd (August 12, 2020). "WarnerMedia Looking to Sell Crunchyroll Anime-Streaming Service for at Least $1 Billion". Variety. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  51. ^ "Sony in talks with AT&T to buy Crunchyroll for more than $950 million: Nikkei". Reuters. October 30, 2020. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  52. ^ Moore, D.M. (December 9, 2020). "Sony's Funimation acquires anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  53. ^ Spangler, Todd (December 10, 2020). "AT&T to Sell Crunchyroll to Sony's Funimation for $1.175 Billion". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  54. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 24, 2021). "Report: U.S. Justice Department Extends Antitrust Review of Sony's Proposed Acquisition of Crunchyroll". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  55. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 9, 2021). "Sony's Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  56. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 13, 2021). "Crunchyroll Confirms VRV as a Part of Sony Following Acquisition". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  57. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 23, 2021). "Crunchyroll and Fuji TV Announce +Ultra Development Partnership with Slow Curve". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  58. ^ Schilling, Mark (September 29, 2021). "Crunchyroll and Fuji TV Strike Anime Production Deal". Variety. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  59. ^ "Anime Fans Win as Funimation Global Group Content Moves to Crunchyroll Starting Today". Crunchyroll. Sony Pictures. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  60. ^ Spangler, Todd (March 1, 2022). "Crunchyroll Adds All Funimation Anime Content, Sony Starts to Phase Out Funimation Brand". Variety. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  61. ^ Hazra, Adriana (March 13, 2022). "Crunchyroll Adds New Anime Titles in India Following Sony's Acquisition". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  62. ^ Author, Guest (November 1, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Bring More Subs and Hindi Dubs to Anime Fans in India". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  63. ^ Cardine, Kyle (December 9, 2022). "Fire Force, Trigun and More Anime are Now Available in India!". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  64. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 11, 2022). "Crunchyroll, Wakanim Suspend Services in Russia". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  65. ^ "Donation to Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine Emergency". Sony Group Portal - Sony Global Headquarters. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  66. ^ Brett (March 24, 2022). "Changes to Ad-Supported Viewing". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  67. ^ Hazra, Adriana (March 26, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Halt Ad-Supported Simulcast Streaming Starting With Spring 2022 Season (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  68. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 5, 2022). "Funimation's YouTube Channel Becomes 'Crunchyroll Dubs' Channel". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  69. ^ Crunchyroll [@Crunchyroll] (April 8, 2022). "The Funimation Shop has moved its merch to @ShopCrunchyroll for the ultimate anime shopper's dream. Get new merch, figures, and more—all in one place! 👉 GO: https://got.cr/nextlevelstore-twm" (Tweet). Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
  70. ^ Wumpus (November 2, 2022). "DISCORD X CRUNCHYROLL: GET PREMIUM ACCESS, CONNECT YOUR ACCOUNTS, AND DIVE INTO ANIME". Discord. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  71. ^ Spangler, Todd (March 1, 2023). "Sony-Owned Crunchyroll Anime Streamer Gets Its Own Button on New Sony Bravia TVs Remote Controls". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  72. ^ Jolly, Jennifer (May 16, 2023). "Learn Japanese through anime. Duolingo and Crunchyroll partner for immersive lessons". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  73. ^ Nwaenie, Chike (January 30, 2024). "Crunchyroll Announces Worldwide Launch of New 'The Anime Effect' Podcast". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  74. ^ Tai, Anita (February 22, 2024). "Crunchyroll Launches App for LG Smart TVs". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  75. ^ Jovanovic, Marko (July 8, 2024). "Crunchyroll Deletes and Disables Comments on Entire Platform, Including Episodes and News Articles". Anime Corner. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  76. ^ Colbert, Isaiah (July 8, 2024). "Crunchyroll Announces the Removal of Its Comment Section Across All Platforms To 'Reduce Harmful Content'". IGN. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  77. ^ "The Crunchyroll Store Expands Across Europe, Bringing Anime Shopping to More Fans Around the World". Crunchyroll. July 9, 2024. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  78. ^ "Crunchyroll Unveils Brand Evolution Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con Debut". Crunchyroll. July 18, 2024. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  79. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 18, 2024). "Crunchyroll Updates Branding With Modernized Logo, Font, Glyphs After Passing 14 Million Subscribers". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  80. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 25, 2020). "Crunchyroll Unveils 7 'Crunchyroll Originals' Works Including Tower of God, Noblesse, God of High School". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  81. ^ a b May, Callum (June 18, 2021). "Crunchyroll Originals Have Been A Disaster". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  82. ^ Alexander, Sofia [@sofiaealexander] (November 5, 2023). "#onyxequinox #onyxequinoxs2 #animacionmexicana" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  83. ^ Luster, Joseph (June 16, 2021). "Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Reveal New Fena: Pirate Princess Trailer, Main Staff, and More". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  84. ^ a b Hazra, Adriana (October 10, 2021). "Crunchyroll Originals Animated Shows High Guardian Spice, FreakAngels Reveal New Trailers". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  85. ^ Luster, Joseph (July 23, 2021). "Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Reveal New BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS Trailer and Key Visual". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  86. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 19, 2022). "Shenmue Anime Reveals Trailer, Cast, Visual, February 6 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  87. ^ Hayes, Dade (October 11, 2023). "Sony's Crunchyroll And GSN Team To Launch Anime Streaming Channel". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  88. ^ Spangler, Todd (October 11, 2023). "Sony's Crunchyroll Launches Free 24-Hour Streaming Channel in Bid to Reach 'Anime-Curious' Audiences". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  89. ^ Bouma, Luke (January 31, 2024). "Pluto TV Will Add Five New Free Live TV Channels In February 2024". Cord Cutters News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  90. ^ "Crunchyroll Launches 24/7 Anime Channel in the US". Crunchyroll. October 11, 2023. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  91. ^ Mateo, Alex (October 11, 2023). "Crunchyroll Launches New 24/7 Linear Channel". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  92. ^ "Apple previews new entertainment experiences launching with Apple Vision Pro". Apple. January 16, 2024. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  93. ^
  94. ^ "How Did the #AnimeAwards Nominees Get Picked?". Crunchyroll. January 11, 2019. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  95. ^ Macias, Patrick (February 9, 2017). "Crunchyroll Announces First-Ever "Crunchyroll Expo" Convention!". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  96. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 9, 2019). "'Blackfox' Movie Premiering at Crunchyroll Expo". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  97. ^ Valdez, Nick (June 28, 2019). "New Mob Psycho 100 OVA to Premiere at Crunchyroll Expo". Comic Book. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  98. ^ "Crunchyroll Expo 2020 Information". AnimeCons.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  99. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 12, 2021). "Crunchyroll Expo Goes Virtual for Its 2021 Event". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  100. ^ "Crunchyroll Expo Australia Grapples With Capacity Crowds, Long Queue Times On Day One [Updated]". Kotaku Australia. September 17, 2022. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  101. ^ Alex Mateo (February 2, 2023). "Crunchyroll Expo 'Hits Pause' On This Year's Event". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  102. ^ Knight, Rosie (October 2, 2023). "Crunchyroll Streaming Service Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  103. ^ Minor, Jordan; Moore, Ben (May 8, 2024). "Crunchyroll Review". PCMag. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  104. ^ Montgomery, Rohan (February 20, 2023). "Anime Voice Actors Speak Out: It's Not Kawaii When We Aren't Paid". In These Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  105. ^ a b c Minto, Evan (May 18, 2022). "Crunchyroll's Move Back to In-Person Dub Recording Sparks Union Discussion". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  106. ^ Mateo, Alex (September 20, 2022). "Kyle McCarley May Not Star in Mob Psycho 100 III Anime Due to Disagreement with Crunchyroll about Union Dubs (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  107. ^ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (September 22, 2022). "Crunchyroll is under fire for allegedly refusing to employ union contracts for voice actors". MSN. The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  108. ^ Egan, Toussaint (September 21, 2022). "Crunchyroll's Mob Psycho 100 season 3 recasting strikes a nerve with the anime world". MSN. Polygon. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  109. ^ Colbert, Isaiah (September 20, 2022). "Mob Psycho 100's English Voice Actor Probably Isn't Coming Back Because Of Crunchyroll". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  110. ^ Reyna, Leo (June 3, 2023). "Crunchyroll Reportedly Blocked Tower of God Cast From Acting in the Game". CBR. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  111. ^ Campbell, Ian Carlos (March 24, 2021). "The Justice Department is worried about an anime monopoly after the Sony deal". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  112. ^ Gibbs, Christy (April 21, 2022). "Why Crunchyroll's Anime Monopoly Might Not Be a Good Thing for All Fans". CBR. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  113. ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (February 8, 2024). "Anime Fans Frustrated as Funimation Digital Copies Won't Move to Crunchyroll". IGN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  114. ^ Colbert, Isaiah (October 28, 2024). "Crunchyroll Responds to Voice Actor's Fan Mail Theft Accusations". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  115. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 27, 2024). "Crunchyroll States it is Investigating Situation After Voice Actor Claims Company Opened His Mail, Gave Away Contents". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  116. ^ Mateo, Alex (November 11, 2024). "Voice Actor David Wald Leaves Role as Gajeel in Fairy Tail, Will Not Return to Crunchyroll Following Claims Company Opened His Mail, Gave Away Contents". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crunchyroll.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crunchyroll&oldid=1258814164"