Sony now owns the Crunchyroll animation site

Having first been reported in October 2020, then started in December 2020, Sony’s $ 1 billion purchase of the Crunchyroll anime streaming site is now complete.

Sony funimation announcement the finalization of the deal earlier today in a press release, with the final purchase price of $ 1.175 billion. It is claimed that Crunchyroll has ‘120 million registered users in over 200 countries’, and the deal means Sony now owns all of Crunchyroll’s offerings and services, from its anime streaming service to event products and more. through video games.

So what does this mean for users, rather than just shareholders? Plans for what Sony actually wants to do with all of this anime are still pretty vague, and information such as price changes or licensing agreements is probably a long way off.

One thing Sony said, however, was that it planned to “create a unified anime subscription experience ASAP “

Extract from the press release:

“We are very pleased to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, President, President and CEO of Sony Group Corporation. “Anime is a rapidly growing medium that captivates and arouses emotion among audiences around the world. Aligning Crunchyroll and Funimation will bring us even closer to the creators and fans who are the heart of the anime community. We look forward to delivering even more exceptional entertainment that fills the world with emotion through anime. “

“Crunchyroll adds tremendous value to Sony’s existing animation businesses, including Funimation and our great partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan,” said Tony Vinciquerra, President and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. “With Crunchyroll and Funimation, we are committed to creating the ultimate anime experience for fans and presenting a unique opportunity for our major partners, publishers and immensely talented creators to continue delivering their masterful content to audiences around the world. With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience on any platform they choose, from cinema to events , home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV – anywhere and in any way fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible.

Funimation itself was only bought by Sony in 2017 for $ 149 million. Now that Sony has it and Crunchyroll, it will be interesting to see how well they can offer a “unified anime subscription service”, taking into account the presence and popularity of series on services like Netflix and HBO Max.