It’s an Anime Explosion of Content as Funimation Is Coming to VIZIO SmartCast®
Irvine and Culver City, CA – July 7, 2021 – VIZIO (NYSE: VZIO) today announced that the Funimation app, the premiere destination streaming service for anime, will soon be available on VIZIO’s SmartCast platform. Soon millions of viewers across America can join the Funimation fan community and enjoy more than 13,000 hours of anime episodes, movies, extras, and top trending shows from Japan like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Fruits Basket, Black Clover, and Attack on Titan, all on-demand, either subtitled and/or dubbed.
The streaming service also includes fan-favorites and anime classics like Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and One Piece. Funimation just launched its hot summer season, with more than 20 new and returning series as well as the global smash hit, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train, which arrived on the service last month after being in theaters this Spring.
Now fans can enjoy a true cinematic experience thanks to VIZIO’s incredible picture quality and top-of-the-line sound experience. VIZIO TVs display the deepest blacks and highest peak brightness in their class thanks to an unbeatable 4K HDR picture in the V-Series models, with Quantum Color technology across the M-Series Quantum, P-Series Quantum, and P-Series Quantum X TVs and with the latest TV collection, Funimation is just a voice command away with the VIZIO Voice remote.
A cinematic experience is not only about picture quality, but also immersive audio. By pairing a VIZIO SmartCast TV with one of VIZIO’s award-winning sound bars, Funimation fans will not only see every detail, but can experience a fully immersive, room-shaking Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X® floor to ceiling sound.
“VIZIO is committed to delivering the best content possible for audiences of every genre,” said Katherine Pond, Vice President of Business Development for VIZIO. “We’re excited to bring Funimation movies and TV shows to life for millions of SmartCast anime fans in their own homes like never before.”
“Our partnership with VIZIO now completes Funimation’s availability on all major distribution platforms and truly lets us be where every fan is,” said Kaliel Roberts, Chief Product Officer at Funimation Global Group. “Whether or not it’s text-to-speech navigation, search capabilities or curated recommendations, the custom-built Funimation user experience for anime fans on VIZIO will be amazing.”
Funimation is available in more than 50 countries, including in the United States and Canada, starting at $5.99 per month, and a Premium Plus version available for $7.99 per month. VIZIO SmartCast users can find the Funimation streaming service in the app row on the SmartCast Home Screen.
In addition to the Funimation streaming app, VIZIO provides convenient access to on-screen apps like Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Prime Video and YouTube TV. It also includes support for Apple AirPlay 2 & Chromecast built-in, allowing viewers to stream, control, and share content from their phone, tablet, or laptop directly onto the big screen. VIZIO SmartCast is continuously enhancing the platform with new features and content, so users have endless entertainment options, all while staying healthy and safe in their homes.
About Funimation
If it’s anime, it’s Funimation. As the market leader in anime, we proudly deliver incredible fan experiences across television, feature films, events, collectibles, and the Funimation App. Headquartered in the US and connected by a global network, our anime-obsessed team serves the fandom in over 52 countries and 10 languages. With over 400 team members, we’ve built a global community where fans and their passion will always have a place to belong.
Funimation is an independently-operated joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.
Visit funimation.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About VIZIO
Founded and headquartered in Orange County, California, VIZIO’s mission is to deliver immersive entertainment and compelling lifestyle enhancements that make our products the center of the connected home. VIZIO is driving the future of televisions through its integrated platform of cutting-edge Smart TVs and powerful SmartCast operating system. VIZIO also offers a portfolio of innovative sound bars that deliver consumers an elevated audio experience. VIZIO’s platform gives content providers more ways to distribute their content and advertisers more tools to target and dynamically serve ads to a growing audience that is increasingly transitioning away from linear TV.
For more information, visit VIZIO.com and follow VIZIO on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Press Contact for VIZIO:
Melissa Hourigan
Fabric Media
720-608-1919
Press Contact for Funimation:
Brian Eley