Crunchyroll in Talks to be SOLD to Sony by AT&T for $1.5 Billion USD
Crunchyroll is currently the owner of the biggest catalogue of anime among the online streaming platforms.
It is not only an anime distributor but also has its own line of Crunchyroll Originals anime titles.
Crunchyroll is, at present, a subsidiary of AT&T’s Warner Media. However, according to recent reports, AT&T is looking to sell Crunchyroll to Sony.
The deal has not been made yet, and it may be a far cry from reality, but the offer, indeed, was made.
The question that arises here is, what made AT&T decide that Sony is the way to go?
The answer is obvious, Sony is a conglomerate business dealing in multiple sectors, and it is also the owner of Funimation, one of the leading anime distributors in North America.
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So what is keeping the deal from being made? AT&T has asked for a total of $1.5 billion for Crunchyroll from Sony.
The amount itself is huge enough to make Sony stop in their tracks and reconsider.
The $1.5 billion amount is too much for an anime streaming service.
However, the ever-growing popularity of anime and the 3 million and counting paid subscribers of Crunchyroll is also something to be considered in the deal.
Thus, even though the deal has not been made yet, it is not totally off or denied.
AT&T is reportedly under debt, which can be summed up at $151 billion. This debt is the sole reason behind the selling off of Crunchyroll.
Although Crunchyroll is a top streaming service, it being sold off will reduce AT&T’s debt.
The progress that anime has made in the last decade cannot be ignored. Due to the increasing demand, streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu have all included anime in their catalogue.
Will Sony take over Crunchyroll, or will some other company steal the deal? Is it time for Crunchyroll and Funimation to join forces? Only time will tell.
Source: The Information article
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