Crunchyroll — the streaming service that specializes in Japanese anime, among other things — today announced that its ad-free premium subscription plan will be getting more expensive. It's the first time its prices have gone up.
First reported by Crunchroll and confirmed by emails going out to customers, the monthly price will go from $6.95 to $7.99 a month — or from $59.95 to $79.99 if you pay annually — in the U.S., Australia, UK and the Nordics.
The increase, Crunchyroll said in its email to subscribers, is "part of our commitment to continuously improve your Crunchyroll Premium experience."
It told TechCrunch :
"Crunchyroll has the world's largest collection of anime and we are grateful to have focused on building out such a robust library for over the last decade, without a significant price change in our company history," the spokesperson said. "However, due to rising costs of content and infrastructure, now is the time to introduce new subscription pricing. This price increase will help us bring our community more of their favorite shows, allowing us to create even more experiences for them to connect with each other and through shared passion for anime."
You'll still be able to watch Crunchyroll without a premium plan, and current premium subscribers are getting a decent grace period before their prices to up.
