Funimation Global Group Completes Acquisition of Crunchyroll

FUNimation Global Group, otherwise simply known as FUNimation which is part of the Sony Pictures brand, have recently announced that they will acquire the streaming giant Crunchyroll, which is owned by AT&T, for $1.175 billon. This means that FUNimation and Crunchyroll will soon become one and the same.

The acquisition of Crunchyroll was first reported back in December 2020, a deal which would see Funimation Global Group, LLC, which is a join venture between SPE and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.’s subsidiary, Aniplex Inc, purchase Crunchyroll and take ownership of the brand. Although specifics have not been mentioned the deal provides the opportunity for Crunchyroll and Funimation to broaden distribution for their content partners and expand fan-centric offerings for consumers.

“We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group,” said Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO, 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 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.”

What does this mean for the future of Crunchyroll and FUNimation? It is hard to say, but FUNimation are looking to bring both platforms closer together in hopes of having one unified platform for anime streaming content. This ‘vision’ also falls in line with Manga UK and Madman Entertainment’s Anilab becoming closer aligned with the FUNimation brand. Either way it will be interesting to see what happens in the future, but naturally we do wish to see lots more anime content (both physical and digital) made available to the UK market.