If you are a free member of Crunchyroll, the anime streaming service, there are some changes coming that will affect you.
For the last five years Crunchyroll has been simulcasting 50 shows every season and adding many library titles. The streaming service has also expanded the free streaming service across mobile and living room devices, including Apple TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii U consoles. In order to continue building the best collection of anime alongside the increasing cost of content, Crunchyroll is making some changes to the free experience.
As of February 1, 2016, catalog titles will be available exclusively to Premium subscribers. Free users will still have access to all currently airing titles. However each new episode of a currently airing title will be available for a 13-week period, after which it will be available to Premium subscribers only.
There are many factors that have been considered on a region by region basis. For the past 5 years, despite fluctuation in the Canadian exchange rates and the rising cost of licensing and streaming anime, the price of Crunchyroll Premium has remained the same. The company’s goal is to continually improve their Premium user experience and deliver the highest quantity and quality of anime and manga titles to all subscribers, including the latest premieres straight from Japan, without raising the price of our Premium service.