Aniwatch Shocks Users with Rebranding: Now Known as HiAnime!
According to a recent report by TorrentFreak, Aniwatch, the infamous and free anime streaming website, has undergone a rebranding and is now known as HiAnime. The change came as a surprise to Aniwatch users, who are now being automatically redirected to the new domain name. HiAnime reportedly has over 100 million monthly visits worldwide, making it one of the largest pirate sites in the world.
Previously, Aniwatch.to was the original domain name for the anime streaming portal, which was rebranded to HiAnime without any explanation. Users visiting the old Aniwatch.to domain names are now greeted with a message that informs them about the rebranding and redirects them to the new domain name. However, some users have been reporting seeing the ACE seizure page while trying to access Aniwatch. to.
While the rebranding has surprised many users, the site assures them that all data and information shall remain the same as before. User accounts and watchlist records shall thus remain unchanged. The move is thought to be a response to the recent dynamic+ blocking injunction issued by the High Court in New Delhi, India, which requires local ISPs to block several pirate domains, including Aniwatch.to. ‘
Given that almost a quarter of the traffic comes from India, this order may have quite an impact on the site, prompting it to undergo a rebranding to evade advertising blacklists and site-blocking efforts, at least temporarily.
Aniwatch.to was operating as Zoro.to until earlier last year before rebranding under the new name. Zoro.to was the main target of anti-piracy groups like the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), who were looking to shut down its rogue operation. However, before ACE could take over the domain name Zoro.to, the site rebranded to Aniwatch.to in July 2023, citing acquisition by a new dev team.
While an explanation was provided last time when the rebranding was done from ‘Zoro.to’ to ‘Aniwatch.to’, this time, no explanation has been given for the move. This unexpected change has surprised Aniwatch users. However, users have been reassured that all data and information remain safe and unchanged.
Several users reacted to the Aniwatch rebranding, with one user even commenting that the new branding, HiAnime, was confusing with another website named Hanime. Despite the rebranding, the site’s popularity hasn’t diminished as it still retains over 100 million monthly visits worldwide.
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