Sony’s Funimation Buys Crunchyroll From AT&T For $1.2 Billion In A Joining Of Anime Superpowers
This news may just take the top spot for Top 10 Anime Crossovers: Sony’s anime distribution companyFunimationhas bought the anime streaming serviceCrunchyrollfrom AT&T for a whopping $1.2 billion, merging the two anime superpowers together in a deal that could bring massive change to the industry.
Sony Pictures Entertainmentannouncedthat AT&T has agreed to sell its popular anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, to Funimation Global Group, the joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music’s subsidiary, Aniplex Inc.
WarnerMedia Chief Revenue Officer Tony Goncalves said of the acquisition:
“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,” “By combining with Funimation, they will continue to nurture a global community and bring more anime to more people. I’m incredibly proud of the Crunchyroll team and what they have been able to accomplish in the digital media space in such a short period of time. They’ve created an end-to-end global ecosystem for this incredible art form.”
Crunchyroll General Manager Joanne Waage said in a statement:
Added Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, “We are proud to bring Crunchyroll into the Sony family. Through Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan, we have a deep understanding of this global artform and are well-positioned to deliver outstanding content to audiences around the world. Together with Crunchyroll, we will create the best possible experience for fans and greater opportunity for creators, producers and publishers in Japan and elsewhere. Funimation has been doing this for over 25 years and we look forward to continuing to leverage the power of creativity and technology to succeed in this rapidly growing segment of entertainment.”
So what could this mean for the anime industry at large? It’s difficult to say, but it could mean an increase in original anime titles from other streaming services as the streaming wars become more competitive, asPolygon suggests. Or it could mean even fewer original titles from Crunchyroll, as Crunchyroll and Funimation join their resources. Regardless, this seems like a real loss mostly for WarnerMedia, which lets go of its biggest in into the anime market with its selling of Crunchyroll.
