Apple’s TV app has long offered a ‘Channels’ feature that lets you subscribe to and watch other services right in the app. And anime destination just became the first notable new channel in quite a while.

Crunchyroll, the popular streaming service for all things anime, has in the Apple TV app. From the press release:

Crunchyroll, the global brand fueling anime fandom worldwide, is bringing the world’s largest dedicated anime library to users on the Apple TV app in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Starting today, anime fans can begin subscribing to Crunchyroll directly through the Apple TV app. This makes it easy to watch anime wherever they prefer—on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles.

You can .

After a 1-week free trial, it’s $9.99/month.

Whether you’re into anime or not, Crunchyroll’s launch is significant because it’s the first noteworthy new channel added to the TV app in a long time.

Apple first rolled out its ‘Channels’ initiative back in 2019 . But after a decent start, the last few years have brought minimal support for the feature from any big streaming services.

Channels was always one of my favorite TV app features, and I’ve long wished more services would support it.

When a service is available as a channel, it comes with these benefits:

• you subscribe right in the TV app with your Apple credentials
• no need to download a separate streaming app on any devices
• all content you watch plays in Apple’s TV app
• you get the default Apple-designed video player on all platforms
• shows can be downloaded offline
• content is typically ad-free
• and you can share access via Family Sharing

Overall, channels is a fantastic experience for users. But many streaming services have been reticent to support it because they—understandably—want to control the relationship with subscribers and video experience. Here’s hoping that starts to change.

You can .

Do you use Apple TV Channels at all? Did you even know the feature existed? Let us know in the comments.