While Paramount’s “Ghost in the Shell” is bringing anime to the big screen, anime, animation and sci-fi-focused streaming service VRV — pronounced “verve” — is adding a bunch of new shows and the ability to watch on desktop computers as it builds a curated niche platform.
VRV, developed by Ellation, owned by AT&T-backed Otter Media, was announced last June at the E3 show in Los Angeles with content geared to fans of animation, anime, eSports, horror and other “geek” content. Its main product is essentially a “skinny bundle” for niche content that tends to appeal to anime fans. Anime-dedicated Crunchyroll, also owned by Ellation, is the largest niche streaming video on demand service in the market, and the company decided to create a larger platform that allows people to subscribe to other niche services on an a la carte basis, or get multiple channels as part of a $10/month combo pack.