AT&T is to sell its Crunchyroll anime business to Funimation Global Group, a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.’s subsidiary, Aniplex for $1.175 billion.
Discussions between the two companies have been ongoing for several months as AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit began shifting its attention to the more generalist HBO Max.
The direct-to-consumer anime channel has 90 million registered users across 200 countries. It has more than 3 million SVOD subscribers.
“The Crunchyroll team has done an extraordinary job of not only growing the Crunchyroll brand but also building a passionate community of anime fans. Crunchyroll’s success is a direct result of the company’s culture and commitment to their fans,” said Tony Goncalves, Chief Revenue Officer, WarnerMedia.
“We are proud to bring Crunchyroll into the Sony family,” said Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Through Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan, we have a deep understanding of this global artform and are well-positioned to deliver outstanding content to audiences around the world.”
Crunchyroll was founded in 2006 by a group of students from Berkeley, California. It has versions in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Arabic, Italian and Russian. The transaction is subject to regulatory considerations.
