Sony completes $1bn Crunchyroll buyout
Sony’s acquisition of anime-streaming service Crunchyroll is now complete, with the final price set at $1.175bn.
We first heard word of Sony’s intent to gobble up Crunchyroll late last year, when it bid $957m.
Today, Sony announced it had finally secured the service, its 5 million paying subscribers and more than 120 million registered users.
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Sony, of course, is already a key player in the anime-streaming market via its existing service Funimation. Today, it said its goal was to create a “unified” subscription experience, suggesting a linked paid option is on the cards.
There are also plans to potentially offer Crunchyroll as part of a more expensive premium PlayStation Plus offering, Eurogamer understands.
“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,” Sony exec Tony Vinciquerra said.
