The Pokémon TV app has come full circle, as the free video service (which includes episodes of the Pokémon anime) is now available on Nintendo Switch. Pokémon as a brand started on Nintendo's original Game Boy in 1996 before being adapted into an animated TV show and becoming the world's highest-grossing media franchise, so it's only fitting that owners of the company's current-gen console should get direct Pokémon TV support.

Video offerings on Nintendo's home/handheld hybrid have been notoriously barebones since the console launched over four years ago, and promises for apps like Netflix on Nintendo Switch evidently never panned out. The only video streaming services of note have long been Hulu, YouTube, and Funimation, so Pokémon TV is almost assured to be a welcome addition to that group. Pokémon TV is a free app that's been available on Apple and Android devices and TV streaming mainstays like Roku and Fire TV for some time, and it offers a sampling of official Pokémon content to viewers.

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In a surprise Thursday announcement, Pokémon TV is now available on the Nintendo eShop. In addition to sharing the Nintendo Switch launch on social media, The Pokémon Company offered more details on its website. As well as allowing Switch users to stream "select episodes and seasons of Pokémon the Series" and Pokémon Trading Card Game matches and tutorials for free, they can also now tune into a new line of educational Pokémon Kids TV videos, including a counting-focused "Great March of Pokémon" starring several iconic pocket monsters and a "Rolling Poké Balls" series demonstrating physics and logic. Pokémon Kids TV is now available for all supported platforms as part of the Pokémon TV app.

The Pokémon TV app currently has the entirety of Pokemon the Series' season one, two and several more available to stream in its library. Many of the later seasons are also complete but some only partially, with season 23 falling into the latter camp. Beyond the anime, kids' content, and Pokémon Trading Card Game, a few specials, like Pokémon: Twilight Wings and Pokémon Generations, are also available.

Considering how light the Nintendo Switch has been on video streaming availability even in 2021, Pokémon TV's addition to the current eShop app library is actually a considerable net gain. The fact that it's free and originating from a franchise so closely associated with the Nintendo brand makes its success finding a Switch install base seem very possible, but only time will tell just how many owners of the console have been waiting to rewatch or dive back into the Pokémon anime.

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Sources: NintendoPokémon, The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel/YouTube