Apple folds Crunchyroll into TV app
Apple integrated Crunchyroll into the Apple TV app so users can manage subscriptions and payments via Apple ID — a consolidation play that strengthens Apple’s aggregator strategy for streaming. The move, paired with WWDC promises of smarter Siri and AI features, signals Apple is blending content access with platform-level lock‑in. (voi.id) (indianexpress.com)
Crunchyroll launched as an Apple TV Channel on March 27, 2026, rolling out in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. (anitrendz.net) (anitrendz.net ) The Channel subscription is priced at $9.99 per month with a seven‑day free trial and is billed through the subscriber’s Apple ID via the Apple TV app. (macrumors.com) (macrumors.com ) Apple‑billed Crunchyroll subscriptions on the TV app are treated as separate from existing Crunchyroll accounts — they cannot be linked to the Crunchyroll website or standalone app and the Channel currently surfaces only the Fan‑tier features. (macobserver.com) (macobserver.com ) Apple TV Channels support Family Sharing for up to six members and permit offline downloads of channel content, so subscriptions purchased through the TV app are shareable across an Apple household and usable across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV devices. (tv.apple.com) (tv.apple.com ) (macobserver.com ) Crunchyroll has been owned by Sony’s Funimation Global Group since Sony completed a $1.175 billion acquisition from AT&T in August 2021, giving a Sony‑owned anime catalog the potential to reach Apple’s device ecosystem via this Channel. (sonypictures.com) (sonypictures.com ) (variety.com ) The Channel launch arrives after Crunchyroll implemented a roughly $2 monthly price increase across tiers effective March 2026 and following an AI‑subtitle controversy in July 2025 when ChatGPT‑tagged subtitle lines were discovered and attributed to a third‑party vendor. (polygon.com) (polygon.com ) (engadget.com )
