Sony Pictures Acquires Anime Streaming Service Crunchyroll

CULVER CITY, CA — Sony Pictures acquired anime streaming service Crunchyroll in a nearly $1.2 billion deal this month, the Los Angeles Business Journal reports.

The Culver City company inked the deal Aug. 10, moving further into the anime industry. The company also plans to combine Crunchyroll with Funimation, a dubbing and distribution media company from Asia that Sony acquired.

Conversations to acquire the San Francisco-based company started in December 2020.

"We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group,” Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Sony Group Corporation, said in a statement.

“Anime is a rapidly growing medium that enthralls and inspires emotion among audiences around the globe," Yoshida said. "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.”

Read the full Los Angeles Business Journal report.

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