Anime fans will be happy to learn that the company producing Dragon Ball Z and Attack on Titan, FUNimation updates streaming service.
- Funimation becomes FunimationNow
- The updated streaming service will work on any iOS or Android powered device
- Funimation is competing with Crunchyroll and Netflix
Funimation already has a streaming service that runs through the company’s website. Anime fans can watch different series from Dragon Ball Z to One Piece or Space Dandy. However, the new update comes in handy as it should be free of ads.
What’s more is that Funimation will also launch a Windows 10 Universal app and the streaming service and apps will be available starting February on any iOS, Android or Kindle device as well as Kindle Fire TV and Apple TV.
Funimation also has gaming apps that will be getting updates in May, besides for PS3 and PS4, also for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The app for Xbox One was launch in the summer of 2015. It looks like Funimation is bringing many changes, including rebranding, changing their name to FunimationNow. However, the streaming service, besides having ad-blockers is not very different from what we’re used to.
The question is why would Funimation go through all this trouble of rebranding and updating all of these apps. We must keep in mind that Funimation offers after all a streaming service which streams only animes, so it is mostly addressed to a small public niche.
On the other hand, there is Netflix. Netflix is probably the most popular streaming service which is still gaining popularity. It streams movies, TV-series as well as anime series. So when you have all of these in one place, why would you need another exclusively anime series streaming service? Plus, besides Netflix, Funimation deals with another direct competitor, Crunchyroll. This streaming service offers a wider variety of anime series as well as manga series and some Asian dramas. The subscription for Crunchyroll is relatively cheap and it streams in many regions whereas Funimation is restricted to North America only.
So far, Funimation hasn’t announced the new pricing for the updated and rebranded version of its streaming service. It remains to be seen if they manage to keep their current users and fans or whether their popularity will eventually decrease, losing face in front of Netflix of Crunchyroll.
Image source: www.bing.com
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