Sony Acquires Funimation; What Does This Mean For The US Anime Industry?
Sony has announced that they've acquired Funimation for an estimated $150 million (pending regulatory approvals and other closing prerequisites).
Last May, Sony was said to be weighing whether to acquire Funimation and it looks as if they've decided to move forward. What will Sony's acquistion of Funimation mean for their new partnership with Crunchyroll? News broke yesterday evening that Sony is planning to acquire a controlling stake in Funimation, a company it values at $150 million. Current Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga will reportedly retain his position if the deal passes U.S. regulation review.
Per Deadline, controlling interest will see Sony purchase 95% of the company while 5% will remain with the current ownership.
In a press release, Andy Kaplan, President of Worldwide Networks at Sony Pictures Television stated, "Around the world, Sony's networks have been major players in the anime space for nearly two decades, and in more recent years we have rapidly increased our networks' over-the-top and digital offerings to consumers. With the acquisition of Funimation, the combined IP of Animax, Kids Station and Funimation allows us to deliver the best anime to fans across all screens and platforms."
American anime fans are currently freaking out, discussing what the acquisiton will mean for Funimation's simul dubs which occur in the company's studio in Texas, how Funimation willl co-exist with Aniplex (who is also owned by Sony) and whether Sony will try to bundle Funimation with some of its other digital network's like Crackle.