This week, Crunchyroll gave ANN an updated statement on their advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) policy:
Through our advertiser-supported tier, Crunchyroll continues to offer more than 1,000 hours of anime for no charge. Prior to the current season, some of our most well-liked anime episodes are still accessible for free with advertisements. Through our Seasonal Samplers, which are introduced at the start of each anime season, we similarly offer fresh material freely accessible with advertisements. Regular rotation and refreshing of AVOD material is planned, with sporadic re-airings for stunts, special events, and promotions.
ANN contacted Crunchyroll after learning that a number of titles, including as El-Hazard, Hero Bank, Kiratto PriChan, and Fairy Musketeers, which had been accessible for free users up until August 31 had become exclusive to premium customers as of September 1.
In March, Crunchyroll made the announcement that starting with its spring 2022 season lineup, it would no longer provide free, ad-supported watching. Instead, to access new and ongoing simulcasts on Crunchyroll, viewers must have a membership. The business also said that further episodes of each game would only be available to subscribers and that the first three episodes of each title will be available for ad-supported viewing on Crunchyroll for a week following their launch. It has been confirmed by Crunchyroll that episodes of current anime will no longer be available for ad-supported watching beginning with the spring season, but earlier episodes will still be accessible.
Prior to this past spring season, Crunchyroll had already informed ANN via a remark that episodes of anime will still be accessible for free with advertisements. According to the business, it will still “make new material available for free with advertisements” and is “just suspending the automatic free distribution of all simulcast content.”
Previously, simulcast titles could be streamed for free with ads a week following their premieres on Crunchyroll.
The anime collection and simulcast programming from Funimation and Wakanim have been migrated to Crunchyroll, according to a March 1 announcement from Funimation and Crunchyroll. On August 9 of the previous year, Sony’s Funimation Global Group finished buying Crunchyroll from AT&T. At closing, the money from the sale was paid in cash for the acquisition, which cost US$1.175 billion.