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Sony’s goal of dominating the anime business could be delayed or derailed, as reports suggest the US Department of Justice has extended its antitrust review to include the Japanese conglomerate’s acquisition of Crunchyroll. The organization announced plans to buy the streaming service for $ 1.1 billion last year, but there are fears the company – which already owns Funimation and Aniplex – is monopolizing the market.
As reported by The Information – and picked up by Variety – the acquisition could be postponed for up to six months as the US Department of Justice examines whether the deal will provide Japanese studios with less means to distribute media in America. It’s worth noting that much bigger streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime continue to invest in anime, so there is legitimate competition – in fact, the former is on its way to becoming the market leader.
As of this writing, Sony has yet to comment on the status of the acquisition. It has always been communicated that the buyout will be subject to regulatory approval and has never set a timeline for the transaction to close. If these reports are correct, then it looks like the company will wait a bit longer before taking the reins – assuming, of course, that it is able to proceed as planned.
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