Sony Acquires Crunchyroll

Sony’s Funimation Global Group (a partnership comprised of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan) has finished acquiring Crunchyroll from AT&T. The deal was originally announced in December 2020.

We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group,” says Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Sony Group Corporation. “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 is an anime direct-to-consumer service with more than 5 million SVOD (streaming video on demand) subscribers. The service also offers mobile games, manga, events merchandise and distribution to over 120 million users across the globe.

“Crunchyroll adds tremendous value to Sony’s existing anime businesses, including Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan,” says Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and chief executive officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “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.”