Sony completes acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T



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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 unifying the two anime properties under one roof is to develop “a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible,” said Tony Vinciquerra, president and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, in a press release.

The deal is valued at $ 1.175 billion, and AT&T – which had been reported by Information to buy the service for $ 1.5 billion – will use the funds to help pay off the debt he’s racked up from his streaming spending. Drastically moving away from its streaming strategy, AT&T has since decided to unleash its media assets and focus on its core connectivity business.

Meanwhile, Sony plans to use the Crunchyroll service to expand its already large 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 on any platform of their choice, from cinema to events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV – everywhere and in every way fans want to experience their anime, ”said Vinciquerra.

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