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The Pokemon TV app and website have provided up-to-date information on the franchise's animated properties and free episode streams for over a decade, but all good things must come to an end. According to a January 8, 2024, post on its official website, the application and website will be shut down on March 28, 2024.
The official post announcing the shutdown also made clear that fans who downloaded the Pokemon TV app before January 8, 2024, would be able to continue watching animated content on the platform ahead of its shutdown date. However, on March 28 of this year, the functionality of both the app and its website will cease, leaving fans looking elsewhere for their animation fix.
Examining the shutdown of Pokemon TV in March 2024
What was Pokemon TV?
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Beginning as a streaming website in November 2010, Pokemon TV offered multiple seasons of the Pokemon anime, beginning with the Indigo League series and ranging to the Master Journeys series. Animated movies were also uploaded to the platform, animated specials made an appearance, and there were even kid-friendly sections and content for Play! Pokemon promotions, as well.
In 2013, the platform was made available on Android and iOS mobile devices through their respective app stores, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku. In August 2021, the application was also made available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. The content could be viewed in the English dub and got translated into 13 other languages.
The service was made available in numerous parts of the world, save for most Asian countries, as The Pokemon Company possessed distribution rights in those locales. The application and website have been maintained, and the app saw regular updates until February 2023, but the application has now been removed from digital storefronts as of January 8, 2024.
Why is Pokemon TV shutting down?
The official announcement surrounding the shutdown didn't specify a reason for it, but there could be multiple factors at play. Recent years have seen several Pokemon applications and sites being phased out, including the shutdown of Pokemon TCG Online's application to make way for Pokemon TCG Live's release in June 2023.
It's possible that with Pokemon Day coming up on February 27, 2024, The Pokemon Company may have plans for a new way to stream animated content from the franchise. This is speculation, but anything is possible for the Pokemon franchise in 2024. There's also the possibility that the platform was no longer financially viable, but the numbers are hard to determine.
Given the rise of streaming platforms over the decade since Pokemon TV's release, many of which feature Pocket Monster content, The Pokemon Company may be angling toward a new way to present its animated episodes to fans. Otherwise, operating costs for the service may have come to a head, as we're seeing with the Pokemon Bank's sundowning on 3DS/WiiU.
Fans have their own opinions on what should happen for Pokemon in 2024, and having a central video streaming platform would likely rank high among them. However, if this is truly Pokemon TV's swan song, fans shouldn't despair. Several series have made their way to other platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, and BBC Player.
All in all, only The Pokemon Company truly knows what the future holds this year, but more information might unveil itself when Pokemon Day arrives in February.
