Crunchyroll launches on Apple TV app in four markets
Crunchyroll has launched on the Apple TV app in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, allowing users to subscribe to the anime streaming service directly through Apple's television platform.
The rollout gives Apple TV app users access to Crunchyroll's catalogue of nearly 25,000 hours of programming and 50,000 episodes. Subscribers can watch on Apple devices as well as smart TVs, streaming devices and games consoles that support the Apple TV app.
The addition brings one of the largest specialist anime catalogues to Apple's broader subscription marketplace, where viewers can sign up for streaming services through a single interface. For Crunchyroll, the agreement expands distribution as anime moves further into mainstream entertainment, particularly among younger audiences.
Crunchyroll's current line-up includes returning series such as JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 3, which covers the Culling Game story arc, and Season 2 of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. It also highlighted new titles including Sentenced to Be a Hero, an action series about a former dark knight and a goddess battling an ongoing enemy threat.
Broader reach
The Apple TV app has become an important shop window for subscription video services by combining sign-up, billing and viewing in one place. That can reduce friction for viewers seeking niche or genre-led content without downloading and managing multiple standalone apps.
For Crunchyroll, whose business centres on anime streaming and related consumer products, the Apple TV app launch broadens its reach in four English-speaking markets where streaming competition remains intense. The company also operates in theatrical releases, games, merchandise and news tied to anime franchises.
Over the past decade, anime has grown from a specialist category into a significant part of global pop culture, helped by streaming distribution and social media fandoms. Services focused on Japanese animation have benefited as audiences seek both long-running franchises and seasonal simulcast releases.
Crunchyroll cited research by National Research Group showing that anime fandom rivals that of major pop culture figures and that nearly 40% of teen anime fans see anime as a meaningful part of their identity. It used the data to underline anime's reach with Gen Z viewers.
Platform competition
The launch also reflects how platform owners and content services are seeking tighter ties as subscription growth slows in some streaming segments. Aggregation through television operating systems and app marketplaces has become one route to customer acquisition, especially for services with a clear genre focus.
Apple's television app combines film rentals, purchases, Apple's own subscription offering and third-party channels. As a direct subscription option there, Crunchyroll gains another route into households already using Apple's ecosystem for entertainment.
Crunchyroll is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment in Japan. That structure places the service within Sony's wider strategy across film, television, music and Japanese entertainment properties.
This ownership has made Crunchyroll not only a distributor of anime but also a commercial hub for the category, spanning cinemas, licensed products and fan engagement. The Apple TV app expansion adds another layer to that distribution network by placing the service inside a widely used viewing environment.
Users who sign up through the Apple TV app can watch anime on the move on Apple devices and on living-room screens at home.