AT&T Acquires Crunchyroll New Media Purchase

It looks like things are shaking up at Crunchyroll these days. The site stands as one of anime’s go-to streaming services, and it seems AT&T is ready to get in on that action. After all, the company did just acquire Crunchyroll in a new media purchase.

Not long ago, AT&T informed the world it has acquired Otter Media after a lengthy negotiation period. The latter company was a joint venture by AT&T which The Chernin Group co-owned, and the digital media company is well-known for handling Ellation, the company behind Crunchyroll (via Deadline).

According to AT&T, there are plans to tie in the Otter Media purchase into WarnerMedia, an emerging company created following AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner earlier this year. As it stand, Otter Media CEO Tony Goncalves will oversee the company as it integrates into AT&T’s vast property catalog.

As for Crunchyroll in particular, there is no word on how this deal will affect its service if at all. Currently, the site stands as one of anime’s premiere streaming services for international fans. Its extensive catalog includes anime, manga, and dramas from Japan which fans can stream on numerous devices. With various subscription levels, Crunchyroll helped revolutionize the online dissemination of anime when piracy was peaking, and it helped pave way for other services like Netflix and Hulu to expand their anime offerings.

For now, fans will have to wait and see whether daily operation at Crunchyroll is affected by this AT&T move. Late last year, it was Funimation who prompted this kind of wait when it was announced Sony had acquired the licensing company. In October 2017, Funimation confirmed its deal with Sony Pictures Television Networks was finalized after the latter put a bid down on the $150 million branch.

“It’s official,” Funimation’s update read. “The deal has closed for Sony Pictures Television Networks to acquire Funimation — and we’re incredibly excited!”

“We’re still the Funimation you’ve known and grown up with, and now with the power of Sony, and with Gen at the helm, we have the opportunity to bring the best anime to even more fans across the world. Thank you for watching!”

So, what do you think about this new deal? Will AT&T help bring Crunchyroll to new heights? Hit us up in the comments or find me on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let us know!