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Find out What Crunchyroll is and, learn more.

i. Funimation is now part of Crunchyroll after Sony's acquisition and merger of the two leading anime streaming services.

In August 2022, Sony Pictures Entertainment completed its $1.175 billion acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T. As part of this major deal, Funimation Global Group was merged into Crunchyroll Group so that Funimation essentially became absorbed into Crunchyroll.

While both services will initially remain active as standalone platforms, the long term goal is to combine Funimation's English dub anime library with Crunchyroll's subbed content. This will create one unified destination for anime streaming under the Crunchyroll brand.

The merged entity gives Sony dominance in the global anime market with over 5 million SVOD subscribers. The content integration is still ongoing but Funimation subscribers are being slowly migrated over into the broader Crunchyroll ecosystem. So Funimation as an independent service will eventually be phased out.

In summary - Funimation no longer exists as a separate business from Crunchyroll after the high profile merger orchestrated by Sony. Anime fans can expect improved content, pricing and experiences as these two industry players become one unified platform.

ii. Crunchyroll can definitely be worth it for anime fans, but whether it's worth it for you specifically depends on a few factors:

1. Amount of anime you watch - Crunchyroll has a massive library with over 1,000 titles. If you watch anime daily, a subscription is very cost effective. More casual anime viewers may not find it as worthwhile.

2. Ad tolerance - The free ad-supported tier has 5-6 ads per episode. The premium subscription is completely ad-free. If you find ads extremely disruptive, premium is very useful.

3. Video quality - Paid subscribers get 1080p HD video quality. For free users maxes out at 480p. Something to consider for the viewing experience.

4. Simulcasts & new releases - Crunchyroll simulcasts popular shows while they air in Japan just 1 hour later. Great for keeping up with current anime and avoiding spoilers.

5. Offline viewing - Another premium perk is the ability to save shows offline on mobile devices for watching without internet. Helpful for travel and commutes.

Overall, Crunchyroll is a top value for die-hard anime fans who regularly binge older and brand new shows. More casual viewers may be okay with the free ad-supported version depending on their preferences. Try out both tiers to gauge if the premium features merit the $7.99 monthly cost.

iii. Crunchyroll and HBO Max have recently entered into a strategic partnership to bring more anime content into the HBO Max streaming library.

Here are the key points about the Crunchyroll and HBO Max relationship:

1. As part of the integration, select Crunchyroll anime series like "Ranking of Kings", "Tokyo Revengers", and "Blade Runner: Black Lotus" are available to stream exclusively on HBO Max.

2. HBO Max subscribers can sign-in with their accounts on Crunchyroll to unlock even more anime to watch from the Crunchyroll catalog.

3. On the flip side, Crunchyroll premium subscribers can now also access all of the HBO Max content like shows, movies, documentaries etc.

4. The partnership combines HBO Max's mainstream popularity and content acquisition capabilities with Crunchyroll's established anime library and brand name amongst the anime fandom.

5. The move signals further expansion into anime for HBO Max to better compete as anime streaming keeps growing tremendously in the West.

So in summary, the partnership allows interoperability between the services while bringing more licensed anime into HBO Max and opening the door for anime fans to also enjoy HBO Max's wider programming selection.

Learn more@ https://www.youtube.com/c/ITGuides/search?query=Crunchyroll.