Pokemon Anime Finds New Streaming Home With 20+ Season Deal

Pokemon has locked in a new streaming deal following the closure of the Pokemon TV app.

By Megan Peters

Do you like Pokemon? And are free things always on your radar? If so, then you will want to pay close attention to the Pokemon anime right now. Not long ago, The Pokemon Company International struck a big streaming deal that will collect much of the Pokemon anime online, and the ad-supported initiative will be free to watch.

Yes, that is right. We said free. The Pokemon anime is about to bring 22 seasons to fans for free, and we have WildBrain to thank.

The company, which focuses on family entertainment, has inked a deal to distribute the Pokemon anime. It will be the only FAST (free ad-supported television) distributor of the Pokemon anime in the United States as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Lara Ilie, a vice president at WildBrain, celebrated the Pokemon deal with a statement reading, "We're thrilled to be bringing Pokemon to FAST audiences as a single-IP channel for the first time ever. FAST is an important component of an omni-channel strategy to grow brands and reach fans everywhere they're watching. As a leader in audience engagement for kids and families, we're looking forward to leveraging our FAST expertise to reach the ever-growing Pokemon community."

According to WildBrain, it has secured 22 seasons of the Pokemon anime. These seasons include fan-favorite stories like The Beginning, Gold and Silver, Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, as well as Sun and Moon. This catalog does not include Pokemon movies, and of course, Netflix has its own exclusively licensed titles. In the U.S., Netflix is the home of Pokemon Journeys as well as Pokemon Horizons, so you will have to visit the service there to binge those series.

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This latest Pokemon anime announcement is an important one as it will better collect the TV series stateside. In the past, much of the classic Pokemon anime was collated on the Pokemon TV app, but it was shut down more than a year ago. Since then, the streaming rights for Pokemon have been all over the place, and some old-school seasons were just plain unavailable. Now, WildBrain is ready to give that access back to fans, so Pokemon lovers better keep an eye out for Ash Ketchum!

Are you planning any Pokemon marathons in the future? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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