Been for the first time reported in October 2020, then started in December 2020, Sony’s multi-billion dollar purchase of the anime streaming site Crunchyroll is now complete.
Sony’s funimation announced the finalization of the deal today in a press release with a final purchase price of a whopping $ 1.175 billion. Crunchyroll reportedly has “120 million registered users in more than 200 countries,” and the deal means Sony now owns all of Crunchyroll’s offerings and services, from streaming anime to event merch and video games.
So what does this mean for users and not just for shareholders? Plans for what Sony actually wants to do with all of the anime are still rather vague, and information such as price changes or licensing agreements are probably a long way off.
However, one thing Sony said was that it plans to “Create a unified anime subscription experience ASAP “
From the press release:
“We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman, president and CEO of Sony Group Corporation. “Anime is a rapidly growing medium that captivates audiences around the world and arouses emotions. The alignment of Crunchyroll and Funimation will allow us to get even closer to the creators and fans who are the heart of the anime community. We look forward to using anime to deliver even more great entertainment that fills the world with emotion. “
“Crunchyroll adds tremendous value to Sony’s existing anime businesses, including Funimation and our great partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan,” said Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. “With Crunchyroll and Funimation we are committed to creating the ultimate anime experience for fans and a unique opportunity for our key partners, publishers and the immensely talented creators to continue to showcase their masterful content to audiences around the world. With Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and bring the anime experience to any platform from theater, events, home entertainment, gaming, streaming, linear television – anywhere and in any way who have favourited fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as quickly as possible. “
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Funimation itself was only bought by Sony for $ 149 million in 2017. Now that Sony owns both it and Crunchyroll, it’s getting interesting to see how much of a “unified anime subscription service” they can offer, considering the presence and Series popularity on services like Netflix and HBO Max.
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