4 Things You Need to Know About Sony’s $1.2 Billion Crunchyroll Acquisition

Sony’s nearly $1.2 billion acquisition of Crunchyroll, the popular anime streaming service, is expected to give Sony a boost in the global entertainment market and in the multibillion-dollar anime industry. The deal, announced on Wednesday, essentially moves Crunchyroll — founded in 2006, acquired by Peter Chernin’s Otter Media brand in 2013 and then folded into WarnerMedia under AT&T in 2018 — to Sony Pictures Entertainment’s anime-focused Funimation Global Group. Though the deal is still pending, subject to regulatory approvals, here are four things to know about this major acquisition. 1. Crunchyroll will bolster Funimation’s library, adding original content and games The most obvious advantage to Sony in this deal is that Crunchyroll’s extensive library will boost Sony’s in-house animation company Funimation, which is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s subsidiary, Aniplex.