Sony announced that AT&T Crunchyroll streaming service to its competitor Funimation Global Group, LLC . Funimation is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. 's subsidiary Aniplex Inc. In other words, Funimation buys Crunchyroll .
According to Sony it describes Crunchyroll anime service in AT&T's WarnerMedia segment with over 3 million subscribers. It serves 90 million registered users in more than 200 countries, offering AVOD, mobile games manga , merchandising and distribution.
Sony said that the combination of Crunchyroll and Funimation offers the opportunity to expand distribution to its content partners and expand offerings to consumers.
Tony Goncalves , Chief Revenue Officer at WarnerMedia:
he said. The Crunchyroll team has done an extraordinary job in 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 fans.
By combining it with Funimation, they will continue to nurture a global community and bring more anime to more people. I'm extremely proud of the team at Crunchyroll and what they've been able to accomplish in the digital media space in such a short period of time. They have created an end-to-end global ecosystem for this incredible art form.
Tony Vinciquerra , CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, commented:
We are proud to bring Crunchyroll into the Sony family. Through Funimation and our fantastic partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan, we have a deep understanding of this global art form and are well positioned to deliver exceptional content to audiences around the world. Together with Crunchyroll, we will create the best possible experience for fans and greater opportunities for creators, producers and publishers in Japan and beyond. 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 fast-growing segment of entertainment.
Ultimately, Crunchyroll was purchased for 1.175 billion, below the $1.5 billion that AT&T wanted.
Crunchyroll launched in 2006 as a streaming service that offered unauthorized anime titles.
Source: ANN
