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VRV (streaming service)

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VRV
Type of site
Video streaming service
FoundedNovember 14, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-11-14)
San Francisco, California
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California (main)
New York City, New York (secondary)
Area servedUnited States
OwnerSony Pictures (2021–present)
Aniplex (Sony Music Entertainment Japan; 2021–present)
Key peopleArlen Marmel (VRV GM)
Tom Pickett (Crunchyroll CEO)
IndustryVideo on demand
ParentCrunchyroll, LLC
URLvrv.co
RegistrationOptional
Current statusActive, service currently merging into Crunchyroll

VRV (officially pronounced "verve", though it is also referred to by its letters) is an over-the-top streaming service launched in November 2016. Owned by Crunchyroll, LLC, run by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex, the service bundles together anime, speculative fiction and gaming related channels[1] and the service targets these large fandoms.

Some of VRV's content can be streamed for free, while other content requires a subscription. The subscriptions to its channels can be purchased individually, or in a premium bundle. VRV is currently available only in the United States, despite some of its partnered content being available for viewing worldwide outside the platform.

History

Ellation, owners of Crunchyroll, formally announced the launch of VRV on June 14, 2016. Its initial partners included Rooster Teeth, Seeso, Nerdist, Geek & Sundry, and Frederator's Cartoon Hangover.[2]

On September 29, 2016, Funimation, Adam Savage's Tested, RiffTrax, CollegeHumor, Machinima.com, Ginx TV, Shudder, and Mondo Media were announced as new partners.[3] VRV would officially launch on November 14, 2016.[4]

On August 9, 2017, the VRV Select channel was launched, featuring content from other sources. It was also announced that Machinima, Ginx, and Rifftrax were being dropped from the service.[5] On the same day as VRV Select's announcement, Seeso announced via its Facebook page that it would be shutting down by the end of 2017.[6] Though RiffTrax, Machinima and Seeso's channels were dropped, some of their content, including Seeso's The Cyanide & Happiness Show, HarmonQuest, Hidden America with Jonah Ray, and My Brother, My Brother and Me would migrate to VRV Select.

On November 21, 2017, CuriosityStream and Mubi joined VRV.[7]

On December 12, 2017, DramaFever joined VRV.[8]

On May 3, 2018, it was announced that Tested was being dropped, with its content moving to VRV Select.[9]

On August 28, 2018, VRV launched NickSplat, named after the TeenNick programming block, featuring classic Nickelodeon series from the 1990s and early 2000s.[10]

On October 12, 2018, Shout! Factory's content, such as Mystery Science Theater 3000 and ReBoot, were made available to watch on VRV Select.[11]

On October 18, 2018, Funimation announced that they would be leaving VRV, as their partnership with Crunchyroll ended, and all of their titles would disappear on November 9, 2018. On that same day, VRV announced that HIDIVE would be joining the service to replace Funimation.[12]

On November 1, 2018, HIDIVE was launched on VRV and it was announced that Boomerang would be joining the service on November 13, 2018.[13]

On November 7, 2018, Season 1 of TBS' Final Space was made available to watch on VRV Select[14]

On November 8, 2018, Otter Media announced Mike Tyson Mysteries and Jabberjaw as upcoming programs for VRV that would be added sometime later in 2018.[15][16] However, both series never actually came to the service. Mike Tyson Mysteries was eventually added to Hulu in 2020, while Jabberjaw has yet to appear on a streaming service.

On August 9, 2021, Crunchyroll was acquired by Sony-owned Funimation, making Sony the new owner of VRV.[17][18]

On September 8, 2021, HIDIVE announced that it would be leaving VRV on September 30, 2021.[19]

On November 18, 2021, it was announced via email to subscribers that Rooster Teeth would be leaving VRV on December 13, 2021.[20] Cartoon Hangover was also removed at the same time.[21]

As of February 2022, the only remaining channels are Crunchyroll, Mondo, and VRV Select.

On March 1, 2022, it was announced that VRV would be merged into Crunchyroll itself, alongside Funimation and Wakanim.[22]

Channels

Current

  • Crunchyroll—Anime and simulcasts
  • Mondo Media—Adult animation
  • VRV Select—A curated selection of movies and shows for premium subscribers

Former

  • Boomerang–Cartoons from Warner Bros. (left December 1, 2020)
  • Cartoon Hangover—Web-original cartoons from Frederator Studios (left December 13, 2021)
  • CuriosityStream—Non-fiction documentaries relating to science, technology, nature, and world history (left November 19, 2019)
  • DramaFever—Korean dramas (shut down on October 16, 2018, subsequently left VRV days after)
  • Funimation—Japanese anime dubbed into English (left November 9, 2018)
  • Geek & Sundry—Geek culture and lifestyle programming (left April 1, 2019)
  • Ginx TV—Esports-related content
  • HIDIVE—Dubbed and subtitled anime (left on September 30, 2021)
  • Machinima—gaming-related content (some content is still available via VRV Select, the rest will be available through Rooster Teeth soon)
  • Mubi—Curates classic and arthouse films (left October 2018)
  • Nerdist—Fandom-related news, podcasts, and comedy programming (left April 1, 2019)
  • NickRewind—Television series from Nickelodeon that aired in the 1990s and early 2000s (left August 29, 2020)
  • RiffTrax—MST3K-style movie commentaries (some content is still available via VRV Select)
  • Rooster Teeth—Web animation and gaming-related content (left December 13, 2021)
  • Seeso—original and licensed comedy programming (shut down on November 8, 2017, some original programming were migrated to VRV Select)
  • Shudder—Horror films (left August 1, 2019)
  • Tested (left May 3, 2018, some content is still available via VRV Select)

Original programming

Series

Title Genre Premiere Seasons/episodes Status
Paradigms: How We Know What We Know Science documentary March 2, 2018 1 season, 1 episode Ended
Gary and His Demons[a] Adult animation/Comedy April 15, 2018 1 season, 16 episodes Moved to Prime Video[23]
Epithet Erased[b] Animated comedy/adventure November 8, 2019 1 season, 7 episodes Ended

Continuations

Title Genre Previous network Premiere Seasons/episodes Status
HarmonQuest (seasons 2–3) Adult animation/Live improvisation Seeso September 15, 2017 2 seasons, 20 episodes Ended
Deep Space 69 (season 4) Adult animation/Comedy YouTube December 22, 2017 1 season, 8 episodes Ended
The Cyanide & Happiness Show (season 4) Adult animation/Comedy Seeso September 18, 2019 1 season, 10 episodes Ended

Availability

VRV can be accessed through its website, as well as apps for iOS (on iPhone and iPad), Android, Android TV, tvOS on Apple TV (on 4th generation and 4K), Chromecast, Fire TV, Fire HD, newer Roku streaming devices, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.[24]

Notes

  1. ^ Available through Mondo's VRV channel
  2. ^ Episodes are uploaded to YouTube two weeks after their premiere on VRV

See also

References

  1. ^ Orsini, Lauren. "Streaming App VRV Wants To Be Netflix For Geeks". Forbes.
  2. ^ "Ellation's 'VRV' Platform Sets Sights on SVOD Surge". Multichannel News. June 14, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  3. ^ "Ellation Announces Eight New Channel Partners for VRV, a Video Platform Built for Fans". Marketwired. September 29, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  4. ^ "New streaming app VRV aims to unite the best of the geek internet under one roof". Vox. November 17, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  5. ^ "VRV Tunes In New Curated OTT Channel". Multichannel News. August 9, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  6. ^ https://www.facebook.com/seesotv/posts/1972813589628344 [user-generated source]
  7. ^ "VRV to Add MUBI and CuriosityStream, Along with Offline Viewing". Collider. November 21, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "VRV Adds DramaFever to SVOD Lineup". Multichannel News. December 12, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "Tested Changes on VRV". VRV. May 4, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "Nickelodeon and VRV Launch NickSplat SVOD Channel". Animation World Network. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS AT @ShoutFactory FOR ALL THIS AND MORE!". Twitter. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  12. ^ "Funimation, Crunchyroll End Content Sharing Partnership". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "VRV Adds Classic Cartoons Thanks to a Partnership With Boomerang". Cord Cutters News. November 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "'Final Space' Season 1 Now Available to Stream Exclusively on VRV". collider. 7 November 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  15. ^ "VRV Adds 'Final Space,' 'Mike Tyson Mysteries,' 'Jabberjaw' from WarnerMedia". Animation Magazine. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  16. ^ "Conan O'Brien's 'Final Space' Finds Exclusive SVOD Home on VRV". Animation World Network. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 9, 2021). "Sony's Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  18. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 13, 2021). "Crunchyroll Confirms VRV as Part of Sony Following Acquisition". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "WHAT DOES HIDIVE'S VRV EXIT MEAN FOR YOU? START WITH OUR FAQ". HIDIVE.com. September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "Rooster teeth leaves VRV". Reddit. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  21. ^ "What is happening to Cartoon Hangover?". VRV. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  22. ^ "Funimation Content Moving to Crunchyroll for World's Largest Anime Library". Crunchyroll. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  23. ^ Layton, Mark (April 13, 2022). "Amazon expands Canadian originals, with 'Gary And His Demons' revival & Tragically Hip docuseries". Television Business International. Retrieved April 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "What platforms can I watch VRV on?". VRV.
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