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Crunchyroll to Halt Ad-Supported Simulcast Streaming Starting With Spring 2022 Season (Updated)

Crunchyroll announced on Friday that it will no longer offer free ad-supported viewing starting with its spring 2022 season line-up. Crunchyroll will instead require that viewers have a subscription to access new and continuing simulcasts.

The first three episodes of the following spring 2022 titles will be available for free ad-supported viewing for a limited time:

• SPY x FAMILY
• A Couple of Cuckoos
• The 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

The first three episodes of each title will be available for ad-supported viewing for a week after their premiere on Crunchyroll until May 31. Subsequent episodes as well as other titles in the spring 2022 simulcast line-up will be available to view with a premium, monthly, or annual subscription.

Crunchyroll confirmed that with continuing anime, ad-supported viewing will not be available with episodes starting with the spring season, but episodes prior to the spring season will be available.

Update: Crunchyroll reached out to ANN with a comment stating that episodes of anime prior to this spring season will still be available to watch for free with ads. The company added that it will continue to "make new content available for free with ads" and that it is "only stopping the automatic free availability of all simulcast content."

Crunchyroll previously allowed free ad-supported streaming for simulcast titles one week after an episode premiered.

Funimation and Crunchyroll announced on March 1 that that Funimation and Wakanim's anime library and simulcast content have moved to Crunchyroll. Sony's Funimation Global Group completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T on August 9 last year. The purchase price was US$1.175 billion, and the proceeds were paid in cash at closing.

Thanks to Link20XX for the news tip.

Update: New comment from Crunchyroll added.

Source: Crunchyroll