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 The Walt Disney Company through a joint venture between Walt Disney Pictures and The Walt Disney Company Japan, 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 and Tubi in 2022, 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 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[lower-alpha 1] | Adult animation/Comedy | April 15, 2018 | 1 season, 16 episodes | Moved to Prime Video[23] |
| Epithet Erased[lower-alpha 2] | 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[]
See also[]
- ZEE5
- SonyLIV
- Crunchyroll
- Wakanim
- Anime on Demand
- Hooq
- Hulu
- DramaFever
- FilmStruck
- DC Universe
- HBO Max
- Vudu
- List of streaming media services
References[]
- ↑ Orsini, Lauren. "Streaming App VRV Wants To Be Netflix For Geeks". https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2017/01/19/streaming-app-vrv-wants-to-be-netflix-for-geeks/#3a0795f8620d.
- ↑ "Ellation's 'VRV' Platform Sets Sights on SVOD Surge". Multichannel News. June 14, 2016. https://www.multichannel.com/news/ellation-s-vrv-platform-sets-sights-svod-surge-405677.
- ↑ "Ellation Announces Eight New Channel Partners for VRV, a Video Platform Built for Fans". Marketwired. September 29, 2016. http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/ellation-announces-eight-new-channel-partners-vrv-video-platform-built-fans-2162796.htm.
- ↑ "New streaming app VRV aims to unite the best of the geek internet under one roof". Vox. November 17, 2016. https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/11/17/13633944/vrv-streaming-launch-overview.
- ↑ "VRV Tunes In New Curated OTT Channel". Multichannel News. August 9, 2017. https://www.multichannel.com/news/vrv-tunes-free-curated-ott-channel-414508.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/seesotv/posts/1972813589628344 Template:User-generated source
- ↑ "VRV to Add MUBI and CuriosityStream, Along with Offline Viewing". November 21, 2017. http://collider.com/vrv-mubi-curiosity-stream/.
- ↑ "VRV Adds DramaFever to SVOD Lineup". Multichannel News. December 12, 2017. https://www.multichannel.com/news/vrv-adds-dramafever-svod-lineup-417015.
- ↑ "Tested Changes on VRV". VRV. May 4, 2018. https://help.vrv.co/hc/en-us/articles/360000762046-Tested-Changes-on-VRV.
- ↑ "Nickelodeon and VRV Launch NickSplat SVOD Channel". Animation World Network. August 28, 2018. https://www.awn.com/news/nickelodeon-and-vrv-launch-nicksplat-svod-channel.
- ↑ "A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS AT @ShoutFactory FOR ALL THIS AND MORE!". https://twitter.com/WatchVRV/status/1050867011616563200.
- ↑ "Funimation, Crunchyroll End Content Sharing Partnership". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-10-18/funimation-crunchyroll-end-content-sharing-partnership/.138330.
- ↑ "VRV Adds Classic Cartoons Thanks to a Partnership With Boomerang". November 2018. https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/vrv-adds-classic-cartoons-thanks-to-a-partnership-with-boomerang/.
- ↑ "'Final Space' Season 1 Now Available to Stream Exclusively on VRV". 7 November 2018. http://collider.com/final-space-watch-online-vrv/.
- ↑ "VRV Adds 'Final Space,' 'Mike Tyson Mysteries,' 'Jabberjaw' from WarnerMedia". November 7, 2018. http://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/vrv-adds-final-space-mike-tyson-mysteries-jabberjaw-from-warnermedia/.
- ↑ "Conan O'Brien's 'Final Space' Finds Exclusive SVOD Home on VRV". November 7, 2018. https://www.awn.com/news/conan-obriens-final-space-finds-exclusive-svod-home-vrv.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (August 9, 2021). "Sony's Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-08-09/sony-funimation-global-group-completes-acquisition-of-crunchyroll-from-at-t/.176073.
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (August 13, 2021). "Crunchyroll Confirms VRV as Part of Sony Following Acquisition". https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-08-13/crunchyroll-confirms-vrv-as-part-of-sony-following-acquisition/.176220.
- ↑ "WHAT DOES HIDIVE'S VRV EXIT MEAN FOR YOU? START WITH OUR FAQ". September 8, 2021. https://www.hidive.com/news/2021/9/8/what-does-hidives-vrv-exit-mean-for-you-start-with-our-faq.
- ↑ "Rooster teeth leaves VRV" (in en). 18 November 2021. https://www.reddit.com/r/vrv/comments/qx1vbe/rooster_teeth_leaves_vrv/.
- ↑ "What is happening to Cartoon Hangover?" (in en). https://help.vrv.co/hc/en-us/articles/4412839159956-What-is-happening-to-Cartoon-Hangover-.
- ↑ "Funimation Content Moving to Crunchyroll for World’s Largest Anime Library". March 1, 2022. https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/03/01/funimation-content-moving-to-crunchyroll-for-worlds-largest-anime-library. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ↑ Layton, Mark (April 13, 2022). "Amazon expands Canadian originals, with ‘Gary And His Demons’ revival & Tragically Hip docuseries". https://tbivision.com/2022/04/14/amazon-expands-canadian-originals-with-gary-and-his-demons-revival-tragically-hip-docuseries/.
- ↑ "What platforms can I watch VRV on?". https://help.vrv.co/hc/en-us/articles/218030643-What-platforms-can-I-watch-VRV-on-.
External links[]
| Sony Pictures Entertainment |
|---|
| Part of Sony
Film productions Defunct/Acquired Sony Pictures Television (Others) Defunct/Acquired Sony Pictures Television Networks Sony Channel: US Networks: UK Networks: Sony Pictures Television Central Europe (Hungary): Template:Sony Pictures Networks India Other channels: Defunct/Acquired Other Businesses
1Under license from Turner Broadcasting System.  |
Template:Sony Music Template:VOD services