Sony’s has made a billion-dollar purchase of the anime streaming site Crunchyroll with a vision to create a unified anime subscription experience.
As per their press release, Sony’s Funimation made this acquisition for a whopping $1.175 billion. Apparently, Crunchyroll has 120 million registered users across more than 200 countries, and the deal makes Sony the owner of all of Crunchyroll’s offerings and services, right from its anime streaming service to events merch and video games.
So what does this mean to anime fans from India? Sony’s plans of what to do with all that anime available in the Crunchyroll library are still pretty vague, and information like pricing changes or licensing agreements are not out yet. But the vision of unifying anime lovers across the world is encouraging for fans from India.
According to the Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Group Corporation, Kenichiro Yoshida, “We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group. Anime is a rapidly growing medium that enthralls and inspires emotion among audiences around the globe. The alignment of Crunchyroll and Funimation will enable us to get even closer to the creators and fans who are the heart of the anime community. We look forward to delivering even more outstanding entertainment that fills the world with emotion through anime.”
“Crunchyroll adds tremendous value to Sony’s existing anime businesses, including Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan,” said Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman 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 key partners, publishers, and the immensely talented creators to continue to deliver 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 across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV — everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible.”
