Back in December of 2020, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that an incredible merger between Sony and Crunchyroll was in the works. The 1.2 billion dollar deal has finally been settled even after some reported issues with the U.S. government.
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“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.” said Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida via IGN.
Sony plans on doing something new altogether with the merger to create a unique platform experience for users. Funimation and Crunchyroll have always been in competition, with one platform often offering popular series that the other does not have. Some years one service has better seasons than the other. It was obvious this past summer season thatFunimation offered more new titlesand had a more involved and exciting announcement period, than Crunchyroll who decided toslowly announce their summer lineupand are still adding to it.
With anime on the rise, other streaming platforms like Netflix have begunmaking their own original anime seriesand investing in making more anime available. Now that two of Netflix’s competitors will turn into one, it is uncertain how the merger will impact viewership on Netflix’s anime offerings. Few other details were released from Sony on how the merger will take place and whether a new name for the new platform or the name of Funimation will remain. Either way, something exciting is definitely underway for anime fans.
