Funimation to Officially Acquire Crunchyroll

Funimation has dropped a bombshell that it, and its parent company of Sony Pictures, will be acquiring the streaming service of Crunchyroll for $1.175 Billion USD, creating a monumental partnership when it comes to the world of anime! Crunchyroll, which was previously owned by AT&T, has been sold to their former rival in Funimation, leaving anime fans to wonder what changes will be in store when it comes to both of the streaming platforms, and how the union will affect the world of anime as a whole!

Both Funimation and Crunchyroll shared the big announcement using their individual Official Twitter Accounts, solidifying the acquisition and surprising anime fans across social media with the titanic news that is sure to turn many heads in the process:

Joanne Waage, the current General Manager of Crunchyroll, had this to say about the company being acquired by Funimation and their parent company of Sony Entertainment:

“We are excited to embark on this new journey. Crunchyroll has built a world-class brand with a passionate fan-base of over 3M subscribers, 50M social followers and 90M registered users. These amazing fans have helped to propel anime into a global phenomenon. Combining the strength of the Crunchyroll brand and the expertise of our global team with Funimation is an exciting prospect and a win for the incredible art form of anime.”

The current CEO of Funimation Global Group, Colin Decker, had this to say about the new union:

“The union of Funimation and Crunchyroll is a win for anime fans around the world that will elevate the art and culture of this medium for decades to come. Combining these two great companies will be a win for fans, and enable us to compete at a truly global scale. I am honored to welcome the wonderful Crunchyroll team to a shared mission—to help everyone belong to the extraordinary world of anime.”

What do you think of this merger between Funimation and Crunchyroll? Do you think that this will change the landscape of anime streaming services moving forward? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of anime streaming services!