Popular anime streaming company Funimation announced that its website and app services will officially shut down, advising customers on next steps.
Funimation will officially discontinue its app and website on April 2, 2024.
Funimation, one of the most popular anime streamers, announced that as part of its merger with Crunchyroll in March 2022, their app and website will end their services on April 2, 2024. The platform said it would stop offering fans “a special experience.” streaming experience and access to the world’s largest anime library. The partnership between Funimation and Crunchyroll allows us to continue that mission and bring you the best anime content.”
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The Crunchyroll and Funimation merger has been going on since 2022
While Funimation customers may be lamenting the news, it’s been a long wait for the streaming service. Following the merger, Funimation gradually removed features, announcing in December 2023 that content downloads and offline viewing would no longer be allowed. They encourage users to complete the migration to Crunchyroll and have already migrated most accounts over. Funimation subscriptions will be replaced by Crunchyroll subscriptions, priced at Crunchyroll prices, and measures have been put in place to transfer Watch History and Queue to new Crunchyroll accounts. Customers experiencing any issues while migrating are encouraged to contact Crunchyroll customer support.
While the measures in place are adequate, customers are advised that account transfers may vary depending on “specific payment platforms, subscription types and regions.” Furthermore, the differences between the Funimation and Crunchyroll libraries mean that not all content will be ported over. For example, Funimation Digital copies are not supported on Crunchyroll and users will therefore lose access to these copies. The FAQ does not mention whether or not refunds are available. Canadian, Chilean, Legacy and Roku Pay subscribers are encouraged to check for an official announcement.
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Crunchyroll remains one of the world’s largest streaming services, which was revealed to have surpassed 13 million paid subscribers last month. The acquisition of Right Stuf means that the company is now also among the top destinations for anime products. Crunchyroll’s expansion over the past few years has seen it increasingly sponsor some of the biggest anime titles, such as Solo Leveling and Metallic Rouge. The launch of the new Crunchyroll podcast – The Anime Effect – later this month will be quickly followed by the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in March.
Source: Funimation
