Crunchyroll has made an update this afternoon regarding the Crunchyroll x Funimation partnership that kicked off a couple of years ago that has resulted in a lot of anime availability in simulcast form through Crunchyroll and a lot of dubs on Funimation’s site. Crunchyroll has now confirmed that the partnership is ending with Funimation departing it and that it’ll all wrap up on November 9th, 2018. Something like this was largely expected once Funimation’s ownership changed previously as one can imagine that Sony wants to have access to all of this material through their distribution channels rather than Crunchyroll.
Crunchyroll’s Statement:
Dear CR users,
As many of you know, we have had an ongoing partnership with Funimation the last two years, sharing anime between users. Unfortunately, Funimation has decided to go their separate way, and this partnership will be winding down on Friday, November 9th.
For our Crunchyroll community, this means that you’ll still be able to access the biggest anime library in the world. However, a list of select catalog titles licensed via Funimation will be leaving Crunchyroll – likewise, the Funimation catalog will also be impacted. That list is currently being finalized between both parties, and we will share impacted titles with you as available. Currently-airing simulcasts and series that premiered during the partnership will continue to be available on Crunchyroll, including favorites like Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia. Additionally, all home video releases will be released as scheduled and all pre-orders will be fulfilled.
As demonstrated by our record year of anime announcements, Crunchyroll is more committed than ever to bringing you the best and latest series from Japan, as well as expanding our catalog of classics. We’ve just launched a strong fall season — with the likes of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and Sword Art Online Alicization — and plan to bring much more anime to you in the future.
Thank you for your continued support. We’re honored to be your favorite source for anime and will continue to do our best in delivering you your favorite series at the speed of Japan.
Sincerely,
The Crunchyroll Team
Funimation’s Statement:
All,
I am writing to share some important news. Effective immediately, Funimation will once again independently acquire, market and distribute anime to the entire community – to both sub and dub fans. This new future is a result of our acquisition by Sony Pictures Television and additional investments Sony is making in our business to make Funimation a global sub and dub anime brand. As such, we’ve made the decision not to renew our collaboration with Crunchyroll, a relationship that ended amicably this month.
Our goal has always been to improve the fan experience and expand the reach of anime. We exceeded our goals in the past couple of years and have established ourselves as the anime industry’s most advanced streaming platform, expanded our global footprint, and accelerated our dub speed to market for new episodes coming out of Japan. While our partnership with Crunchyroll is ending, we are excited about the future, the support of Sony Pictures Television and their commitment, alongside ours, to build the best experience for anime fans globally.
We have enormous respect for the relationship we forged with Crunchyroll and will be working with them closely over the next several months to ensure a seamless transition in terms of our respective catalogs and offerings. That said, there will be some immediate changes ahead as we unwind the partnership. On November 9, 2018, our subscribers will have access to several hundred subbed titles when our catalog reverts to Funimation, while a handful of dubbed titles will no longer be available on FunimationNow. All the titles licensed during the partnership will continue to be shared with Crunchyroll and available to FunimationNow subscribers.
Thank you for your tireless work and dedication as well as your unwavering commitment to bring the best anime to the most people possible.
Please join me and the senior management team for an all-hands meeting. We will be able to address any questions you may have then. In the meantime, I would direct you to the special FAQs created for fans and subscribers that are now live on the Funimation blog.
Gen
