HIDIVE is exiting its partnership with VRV, the streaming company announced today. Users who enjoyed HIDIVE content on VRV will still be able to watch it but on HIDIVE’s own site. VRV subscribers will also receive an email inviting them to subscribe to HIDIVE.
HIDIVE president and founder John Ledford said that while they have greatly enjoyed their nearly 3-year run with VRV, it was time to focus on HIDIVE services.
VRV, which is owned by Crunchyroll, and HIDIVE partnered up in 2018 after Funimation and Crunchyroll ended their partnership. HIDIVE (owned by Sentai Filmworks) replaced the Funimation channel on HIDIVE.
Funimation’s acquisition of Crunchyroll recently became official, and it left many fans wondering about what the future of anime streaming services would look like. As a division of Crunchyroll, Sony’s Funimation now also owns VRV.
VRV is a streaming service, which launched in November 2016. Some content on the site can be watched for free, but most require a subscription. It is currently only available in the US.
HIDIVE streaming services launched in 2017, after the discontinuation of Anime Network Online. They also offer some free content, with subscription options. Their content is available worldwide, but some region restrictions apply. HIDIVE has roots in the anime community. In 2019, they partnered with the popular anime database MAL, and a year later with Anime-Planet. In the Summer 2021 season, they streamed Mother of the Goddess’ Dormitory and TSUKIPRO 2.
Source: HIDIVE