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Sony, the Japanese entertainment and software giant, could be about to buy the Crunchyroll anime streaming platform.
Sony’s angle arose from an article published late last week in the prestigious Japanese newspaper Nikkei. The Nikkei said the talks were complex enough that Sony now has exclusive commercial rights to the acquisition of Crunchyroll.
The deal would be worth JPY one hundred or $960 million at existing exchange rates. This is a significant step ahead of the requested value of $1. 5 billion reported through The Information in August.
Sony has had relatively strong functionality this year, despite the negative effect of coronavirus on theatrical devices and films. Its release on PlayStation5 appears to be going very strong and its shares have risen 10% since January 1. In May, Sony’s control said the company had a giant war chest that it would use to save sick or discounted assets.
If an agreement were reached, it would be Sony’s initiative this year for its position in the anime. In the spring, Sony paid $400 million for a minority stake in Bilibili, a developing online entertainment platform that places a strong emphasis on the name. , comics and games.
This would also create rivalry with the Netflix and Hulu streaming platforms, any of which competes for anime content. Netflix, in particular, has actively sought content partnerships with anime production companies, recently expanding its list to 8 Japanese and one Korean vendors.
Sony lately owns Aniplex, one of the production companies for the hit animated film “Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train,” which grossed more than $ 150 million in just 17 days at the Japanese box office. But this good fortune also highlights Sony’s position as the only Hollywood studio consortium without its own global general-purpose streaming platform.
Sony owns Funimation, a specialized anime transmitter with nearly one million subscribers it bought in 2017, but by owning a Disney Plus or HBO Max, Sony is forced to fire “Demon Slayer” and other content. Sony also owns Wakanim and Madman Anime Group. .
Analysts are already there if Sony would seek to merge Crunchyroll and Funimation, and what that would mean for fans.
Making Sony a more vertically incorporated and global anime plant would likely mean that several content agreements want to be restructured or unraveled. Hulu, for example, has a long-standing partnership with Funimation, which sees a percentage of many titles. HBO Max’s existing anime is based on crunchyroll content and the iconic Studio Ghibli.
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