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Crunchyroll Sets 1st Price Increase in U.S., Britain, Australia, Nordics (Updated)

Crunchyroll announced in an email to its users on Friday that it is increasing its subscription price for new users for its One-Month Premium membership plan from US$6.95 to US$7.99, and its Twelve-Month Premium membership plan from US$59.95 to US$79.99 for new users effective on May 1. The updated prices will take effect for existing users on August 1.

Prices in Great Britain will increase from £4.99 to £6.50 for the One-Month Premium membership plan, and from £39.99 to £64.99 for the Twelve-Month Premium membership plan. Australian prices will increase from AUD$6.95 to $7.99 per month, or AUD$59.95 to $79.99 for yearly subscriptions.

The price increase affects users in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and the Nordics. The increase is the first major price increase in the service's history.

AT&T announced last August that it had acquired the entirety of Otter Media, the holding company that operates Crunchyroll and VRV's parent company Ellation, from its previous co-owner The Chernin Group. AT&T announced at the time that it planned to fold the company into WarnerMedia.

WarnerMedia, the new content company created after AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner last June, announced a reorganization of its divisions earlier this month that will bring many of its subsidiaries and brands — including Otter Media, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang — into a single "Global Kids & Young Adults" unit.

Update: Crunchyroll provided ANN with the following statement from a spokesperson about the change:

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. 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.

Crunchyroll also confirmed with ANN that international subscribers who pay in U.S. dollars will also be part of the new subscription price, with the exception of Brazil.

Thanks to John Ellis and aoi for the news tips.

Sources: Tech Crunch (Anthony Ha), Email correspondence with Crunchyroll