Sony Scores Crunchyroll for $1.175 Billion What’s Next for Anime Streaming?

After a long tussle between giant conglomerates and the US government, Sony finally has Crunchyroll come under its wings. 

A $1.175 billion-dollar deal between Sony and American communications company AT&T will have the popular streaming service join Sony-owned North American streaming service, Funimation. 

According to the press release by Sony on Monday (August 9, 2021), the transaction worth $1.175 billion will merge Crunchyroll and Funimation.

The acquisition is said to provide an opportunity to broaden the distribution and expand “fan-centric offerings for the consumers.”

Big news! Crunchyroll will continue its commitment to anime and its fans, now under Sony Funimation Global Group.

MORE: https://t.co/lJ0z3nS6sR pic.twitter.com/2WqD1QWKxH

— Crunchyroll (@Crunchyroll) August 9, 2021

First announced in December 2020, the acquisition came under the probe of potential antitrust violation by the US Department of Justice. The US government sought to determine whether this deal would give Sony a monopoly over anime streaming. 

After finalizing the acquisition on Monday, Funimation and Crunchyroll took to Twitter in a celebratory mood, hinting at the new possibility that lay ahead. One of the significant possibilities being the introduction of a new anime streaming service to rule them all. 

Yay for anime! Funimation and @Crunchyroll are one company today. Now we can start the crazy fun work of bringing our worlds together. 👉 Read more: https://t.co/e6rPufJ1h6

— Funimation (@Funimation) August 9, 2021

Crunchyroll, with its five million subscribers, a manga distribution arm along with a game studio and news portal, provides 360-degree coverage on everything that is even slightly anime-related.

In comparison, Funimation has a vast catalog of series along with an in-house team design team for merchandise.

Combining Crunchyroll and Funimation could give Netflix and Hulu, the two other anime-streaming players, a run for their money. 

From a fan’s perspective, Crunchyroll was one of the first companies that revolutionized how we consumed anime. It provided access to countless popular shows for free and was a harbinger of the change to come. 

On the other hand, Funimation has many censorship issues. Moreover, the site blocks its content in many regions. If Crunchyroll forces the same rule, then no one would be happy.

So apparently Crunchyroll & Funimation become a singular entity as of this week.

Whether this means the territories that are usually region-locked out of Funimation content get *more* access or *less* may remain to be seen? But I’m betting on the under.

— Brandon O'Brien (@therisingtithes) August 9, 2021

Additionally, how this deal will affect Crunhyroll’s foray into Webtoon (Korean comics) anime adaptations like Tower of God and God of Highschool is also a source of anxiety among fandom. 

But that is something Sony will have to sort on its own, and we can only hope for the best. 

Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment