Crunchyroll has announced that it will implement some changes this spring, as anime fans will no longer be able to simulcast the new release shows with the free tier.
Up until now, Crunchyroll allowed viewers to enjoy new releases with their free accounts, with a one-week delay and running ads.
What's Happening With Crunchyroll?
According to the announcement on its website, Crunchyroll has decided that those who want to watch all the brand new content need to shell out money for a subscription.
Since they don't want the changes to be too much of a shock to users, there's going to be a transitional period. During this time, Crunchyroll will offer a "seasonal sampler," which is a series of shows that will have their first three episodes available for free. The episodes will be viewable with ads, but they'll require no subscription.
The platform features over 1,000 hours of content available for free. The changes only apply moving forward, so there are still lots of cool shows to have fun with even if you don't want to pay for a subscription.
What Shows Are in the Seasonal Sampler?
According to Crunchyroll's announcement, there will be eight shows in this sampler. The first three episodes will be available for free with ads for one week after their premiere throughout May 31, 2022.
Following the start of June 2022, all episodes from the seasonal sampler will require a subscription.
The shows that are part of the sampler are:
- Spy x Family
- A Couple of Cuckoos
- Dawn of the Witch
- Tomodachi Game
- Skeleton Knight in Another World
- Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
- The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody
- Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs
What's Happening to Old Shows?
According to Crunchyroll, the new requirements regarding subscriptions only apply for future seasonal releases. For continuing series, any episodes that have been previously published will still be available for all users, including those with a free tier.
Crunchyroll Subscription Options
Since we're talking about Crunchyroll's new plans and their desire to "encourage" more fans to try out Premium access by luring them with new shows, we should also discuss the available subscription options. You should also keep in mind there's a ton of content from Funimation coming to Crunchyroll.
Crunchyroll offers three different subscription tiers. The first one, Fan, will cost you $7.99 per month for an ad-free experience, unlimited access to the entire library, and new episodes an hour after they hit Japan. There's also a single stream at a time permitted.
The mid-level tier is called Mega Fan and costs $9.99 per month for all the perks we've mentioned above, but four simultaneous streams and offline viewing capabilities.
Finally, the Ultimate Fan subscription costs $14.99 per month and adds an annual swag bag to sweeten the deal and access to an exclusive limited-run Hime Nendoroid figure. Simultaneous streaming can be done on six devices with this plan.
All subscriptions have a 14-day free trial, so you have plenty of time to figure out whether you want to continue with your subscription or not.
What to Pick: Crunchyroll Free or Premium
Obviously, Crunchyroll is done with providing free content to people. Instead of forcing a subscription on everyone, existing content will continue to be available for free, which will appease old-time users. On the other hand, those who want more and more shows will have to, eventually, pay for a monthly or annual subscription.
The subscriptions aren't necessarily extremely pricey, but they add up next to Netflix, Hulu, and whatever else you're paying for each month.