VRV (streaming service)
| Company type | Streaming platform |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment, Streaming media |
| Founded | November 14, 2016 |
| Founder | Ellation (parent company of Crunchyroll) |
| Defunct | April 29, 2023 |
| Fate | Merged into Crunchyroll |
| Successor | Crunchyroll |
| Headquarters | United States , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Over-the-top streaming platform with anime, speculative fiction, educational content, and gaming channels |
| Owner | Sony (via Crunchyroll) |
| Parent | Ellation (until 2021), Sony (from 2021) |
| Website | www |
VRV (pronounced "verve") was a U.S.-based over-the-top streaming platform introduced in November 2016 through a collaboration between AT&T and the Chernin Group. It combined channels focused on anime, speculative fiction, educational content, and gaming, catering to specialized fan communities.
The platform provided both complimentary and paid subscription options, allowing users to either subscribe to individual channels or opt for a comprehensive premium package. Although some partner content was accessible worldwide outside the service, VRV itself remained available exclusively within the United States.
In April 2023, VRV was consolidated into Crunchyroll, with the full integration finalized by the end of that month.
History
Ellation, the parent company of Crunchyroll, announced the creation of VRV on June 14, 2016, initially joining forces with partners such as Rooster Teeth, Seeso, Nerdist, Geek & Sundry, and Frederator's Cartoon Hangover. Later, on September 29, 2016, additional collaborators including Funimation, Adam Savage's Tested, RiffTrax, CollegeHumor, Machinima, Ginx TV, Shudder, and Mondo Media were incorporated. The service officially commenced on November 14, 2016.
On August 9, 2017, VRV launched the VRV Select channel featuring handpicked content from diverse sources while discontinuing Machinima, Ginx, and Rifftrax channels. Later that year, following Seeso's shutdown announcement, some of its programming transitioned to VRV Select.
Towards the end of 2017, VRV broadened its offerings by adding CuriosityStream and Mubi in November, followed by the inclusion of DramaFever in December.
In May 2018, Tested content was integrated into VRV Select as its dedicated channel was removed. Subsequently, on August 28, 2018, VRV introduced NickSplat, showcasing classic Nickelodeon shows from the 1990s and early 2000s.
October 2018 saw Shout! Factory’s titles such as Mystery Science Theater 3000 and ReBoot become part of VRV Select’s lineup. However, in November Funimation ended its association with Crunchyroll and exited VRV. To fill this gap, VRV incorporated Hidive. Hidive launched on November 1, 2018; shortly thereafter on November 13, Boomerang joined the platform. That same month marked the availability of season one of TBS's Final Space on VRV Select. Additionally, Otter Media announced plans to add Mike Tyson Mysteries and Jabberjaw later in 2018.
Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll on August 9, 2021 also brought VRV under Sony's ownership. Following this change, Hidive left the platform on September 30, 2021; Rooster Teeth and Cartoon Hangover exited in December of that year.
On March 1, 2022, it was revealed that VRV would be merged into Crunchyroll along with Funimation and Wakanim. VRV officially discontinued operations on April 29, 2023.
Channels
- Boomerang – Classic Warner Bros. cartoons (departed December 1, 2020)
- Cartoon Hangover – Original web animations by Frederator Studios (exited December 13, 2021)
- Crunchyroll – Anime titles and simulcasts (left April 29, 2023)
- CuriosityStream – Documentaries covering science, technology, nature, and history (departed November 19, 2019)
- DramaFever – Korean drama series (ceased operations October 16, 2018; removed shortly after)
- Funimation – English-dubbed Japanese anime (left November 9, 2018)
- Geek & Sundry – Programming focused on geek culture and lifestyle (exited April 1, 2019)
- Ginx TV – Esports-related content
- Hidive – Anime with dubbing and subtitles (departed September 30, 2021)
- Machinima – Gaming-oriented videos (some content remained via VRV Select)
- Mondo Media – Adult animation series (left May 8, 2023)
- Mubi – Classic and independent films (exited October 2018)
- Nerdist – Fandom news coverage, podcasts, comedy shows (departed April 1, 2019)
- NickRewind – Nickelodeon programming from the late '90s and early '00s (left August 29, 2020)
- RiffTrax – Movie commentary in the style of MST3K (some material still available through VRV Select)
- Rooster Teeth – Web animation and gaming content provider (exited December 13, 2021)
- Seeso – Comedy originals and licensed shows (shut down November 8, 2017; select programs moved to VRV Select)
- Shudder – Horror genre films (departed August 1, 2019)
- Tested – Technology-focused content (left May 3, 2018; some shows moved to VRV Select)
- VRV Select – Curated selection of movies and series for premium users (ended April 29, 2023)
Series
| Title | Genre | Premiere | Seasons/episodes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowstone Park[lower-alpha 1] | Animation | December 15, 2017 | 1 season, 3 episodes | Concluded |
| Slug Riot | Animation | January 5, 2018 | 1 season, 5 episodes | Concluded |
| (not) Hero[lower-alpha 1] | Animated comedy/adventure | February 9, 2018 | 1 season, 3 episodes | Concluded |
| Paradigms: How We Know What We Know | Science documentary | March 2, 2018 | 1 season, 1 episode | Concluded |
| Chris P. Duck | Animated comedy/slice of life | 1 season, 6 episodes | Concluded | |
| Gary and His Demons[lower-alpha 2] | Adult animation/comedy | April 15, 2018 | 1 season, 16 episodes | Transitioned to Amazon Prime Video internationally and Amazon Freevee in the U.S. |
| Daddy and the Big Boy[lower-alpha 2] | Adult animation/comedy | October 16, 2018 | 1 season, 13 episodes | Concluded |
| Allen's Pole | Adult animation/adventure | 1 season, 4 episodes | Concluded | |
| Brogan: Master of Castles[lower-alpha 2] | Adult animation/comedy | March 26, 2019 | 1 season, 6 episodes | Concluded |
| Live From WZRD | Talk show | March 31, 2019 | 1 season, 8 episodes | Concluded |
| Bigfoot[lower-alpha 2] | Adult animation/comedy | September 29, 2019 | 1 season, 8 episodes | Concluded |
| Animated comedy/adventure | November 8, 2019 | 1 season,7 episodes | Concluded |
Continuations
| Title | Genre | Previous network | Premiere date | Seasons/episodes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HarmonQuest (seasons 2–3) | Adult animation/Improvised live performance | Seeso | September 15, 2017 | 2 seasons,20 episodes | Concluded |
| Deep Space 69 (season 4) | Adult animation/Comedy | YouTube | December 22, 2017 | 1 season,8 episodes | Concluded |
| Bravest Warriors (seasons 3–4) | Animated comedy/Science fiction | YouTube | December 25, 2017 | 2 seasons,58 episodes | Concluded |
| Turbo Fantasy (season 2) | Adult animation/Comedy | YouTube | August 27, 2018 | 1 season,3 episodes | Concluded |
| The Cyanide & Happiness Show (season 4) | Adult animation/Comedy | Seeso | September 18, 2019 | 1 season,10 episodes | Concluded |
See also
External links
- Official website (archive)
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