Sony nears acquisition of US anime streaming service Crunchyroll for nearly $1 billion

guest · Oct 30, 2020

Sony nears acquisition of US anime streaming service Crunchyroll
Entertainment giant could pay more than $950m as talks wind up with parent AT&T
October 30, 2020
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Bu...ion-of-US-anime-streaming-service-Crunchyroll

Sony has entered into final negotiations to acquire U.S. anime-streaming service Crunchyroll, Nikkei learned on Friday, a deal that could catapult the Japanese icon into a global battle with the likes of Netflix.

Sony could end up spending more than 100 billion yen ($957 million) on the U.S. streamer, gaining its 70 million members around the world.
Sony has its own popular anime like "Kimetsu no Yaiba" ("Demon Slayer"), but has been licensing it to streaming services.

If the acquisition is realized, global competition for content among companies like Netflix and Hulu will intensify.
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Crunchyroll has 70 million free members and 3 million paying subscribers in more than 200 countries and regions, including the U.S. and Europe.

The company once known for Trinitron TVs and Walkman personal stereos has grown into an entertainment colossus that plans to strengthen this side of its business by building on Crunchyroll's membership base.
According to The Association of Japanese Animations, the global anime market in 2018 was worth about $21 billion, 1.5 times that of five years earlier. The overseas market accounts for nearly half of total demand.
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guest · Dec 9, 2020

Sony’s Funimation acquires anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion
The move consolidates the anime industry in a major way
December 9, 2020
https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/9/2...cquires-crunchyroll-deal-price-watching-anime

On Wednesday, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. announced that AT&T and WarnerMedia agreed to sell Crunchyroll to Funimation. Though there had been rumblings of the acquisition for a few weeks, it wasn’t clear just how the deal would go down or if it would at all. The purchase price for the transaction was estimated by Sony to be $1.175 billion.

“The Crunchyroll team has done an extraordinary job of not only growing the Crunchyroll brand but also building a passionate community of anime fans. Crunchyroll’s success is a direct result of the company’s culture and commitment to their fans,” said Tony Goncalves, WarnerMedia’s CRO, in a statement.
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At first glance, Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T might put them in a better position to compete with Netflix, but the move actually grows their influence over Japan’s anime industry.

By adding Crunchyroll’s 70 million free members and 3 million paid subscribers to their portfolio of anime streaming and production companies, the company intends to reap the rewards of anime’s growth overseas, which in both 2017 and 2018 grew to nearly half of the industry’s over ¥2.1 trillion (about $19 billion) total revenue.
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guest · Aug 9, 2021

Sony completes acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T
Funimation and Crunchyroll are now one business
August 9, 2021
https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/9/22617356/sony-crunchyroll-att-funimation-acquisition

Sony officially owns AT&T’s Crunchyroll.

Sony’s deal to acquire Crunchyroll was first announced in December 2020 and sees Crunchyroll join Funimation, Sony’s existing anime streaming property, under one roof. The ultimate goal of the unification of the two anime properties under a single roof is to develop “a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible,” said Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, in a statement.
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Meanwhile, Sony plans to use the Crunchyroll service to broaden its already substantial anime streaming footprint.

“With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV — everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime,” Vinciquerra said.
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Press Release: Sony’s Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T

AT&T Inc.* (NYSE:T) today announced that SPE has completed its acquisition of AT&T’s Crunchyroll anime business through Funimation Global Group, LLC. Funimation is a joint venture between SPE and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.’s subsidiary, Aniplex Inc. The agreement was first announced in December 2020.
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Sony nears acquisition of US anime streaming service Crunchyroll for nearly $1 billion

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