Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and AT&T Inc.* (NYSE:T)
today announced that AT&T agreed to sell its Crunchyroll anime
business to Funimation Global Group, LLC. Funimation is a joint
venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Sony Music
Entertainment (Japan) Inc.’s subsidiary, Aniplex Inc.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201209006044/en/
Crunchyroll is a premier anime direct-to-consumer service within
AT&T’s WarnerMedia segment with more than 3 million SVOD
subscribers and growing. It serves 90 million registered users
across more than 200 countries and territories offering AVOD,
mobile games, manga, events merchandise and distribution. The
combination of Crunchyroll and Funimation provides the opportunity
to broaden distribution for their content partners and expand
fan-centric offerings for consumers.
“The Crunchyroll team has done an extraordinary job of not only
growing the Crunchyroll brand but also building a passionate
community of anime fans. Crunchyroll’s success is a direct result
of the company’s culture and commitment to their fans,” said Tony
Goncalves, Chief Revenue Officer, WarnerMedia. “By combining with
Funimation, they will continue to nurture a global community and
bring more anime to more people. I’m incredibly proud of the
Crunchyroll team and what they have been able to accomplish in the
digital media space in such a short period of time. They’ve created
an end-to-end global ecosystem for this incredible art form.”
“We are proud to bring Crunchyroll into the Sony family,” said
Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“Through Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony
Music Entertainment Japan, we have a deep understanding of this
global artform and are well-positioned to deliver outstanding
content to audiences around the world. Together with Crunchyroll,
we will create the best possible experience for fans and greater
opportunity for creators, producers and publishers in Japan and
elsewhere. Funimation has been doing this for over 25 years and we
look forward to continuing to leverage the power of creativity and
technology to succeed in this rapidly growing segment of
entertainment.”
The purchase price for the transaction is $1.175 billion subject
to customary working capital and other adjustments, and the
proceeds will be paid in cash at closing. The transaction is
subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory
approvals.
*About AT&T AT&T
Inc. (NYSE:T) is a diversified, global leader in
telecommunications, media and entertainment, and technology.
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that
creates and distributes premium and popular content to global
audiences through its consumer brands, including: HBO, HBO Max,
Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line,
Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Turner Classic Movies. Xandr, now
part of WarnerMedia, provides marketers with innovative and
relevant advertising solutions for consumers around premium video
content and digital advertising through its platform. AT&T
Communications provides more than 100 million U.S. consumers with
entertainment and communications experiences across TV, mobile and
broadband. Plus, it serves high-speed, highly secure connectivity
and smart solutions to nearly 3 million business customers.
AT&T Latin America provides pay-TV services across 10 countries
and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean and wireless
services to consumers and businesses in Mexico.
AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information is available
at about.att.com. © 2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights
reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks
and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T
affiliated companies. FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered
trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network
Authority. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
About Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll connects anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and
territories with 360-degree experiences. Fans have access to the
one of the largest collections of licensed anime through
Crunchyroll, Anime Digital Network (in partnership with Citel, a
subsidiary of Média-Participations), and Anime on Demand video
streaming services, translated in multiple languages for viewers
worldwide. Crunchyroll's services also extend to licensing of
theatrical, TV, home video, consumer product, and video game
rights.
Fans engage further with events (including owned events
Crunchyroll Expo, Anime Awards, Crunchyroll Movie Nights, KAZÉ
Movie Nights), consumer products through eCommerce and retail
partners (Crunchyroll, KAZÉ, AV Visionen), Crunchyroll Games, KAZÉ
Games, and manga (KAZÉ Manga, Crunchyroll Manga app, Crunchyroll
Manga Store).
Crunchyroll was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in San
Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, Lausanne,
Chisinau, and Berlin (AV Visionen). VRV (U.S.) and Eye See Movies
(Germany) are also Crunchyroll brands.
About Sony Pictures
Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a
subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations
encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution;
television production, acquisition, and distribution; television
networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of
studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products,
services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production
organizations include Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation,
Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM
Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information,
visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.
About Funimation Funimation
distributes the best anime to a passionate, global community of
fans. For over 25 years, Funimation has been delivering anime to
fans and is pioneering an omnichannel approach to engaging and
entertaining millions where they want it most—streaming, home
entertainment, theatrical, e-commerce, merchandising, live events,
and more.
Funimation’s streaming services offer a growing catalog of over
700 anime series and 13,000+ hours of content available on 15
platforms and in 49 countries. Funimation’s in-house team designs
must-have, exclusive collectibles distributed through major
retailers and an e-commerce site; Funimation’s theatrical division
has distributed and marketed 6 of the top 20 anime films in the
U.S. As pioneers of the SimulDub™, Funimation is the gold standard
for foreign language dubbing of Japanese anime with the highest
quality standards and fidelity to the original artists. With a
fan-centric approach, Funimation has built a social community of
tens of millions of followers and earned the trust of Japan’s most
iconic creators.
Funimation has nine offices in six countries and hundreds of
employees worldwide. As an independently operated joint venture
between U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Japan’s Aniplex
Inc., a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.,
Funimation benefits from deep entertainment expertise across
cultures, territories, and languages.
To learn more about Funimation, visit funimation.com and follow
Funimation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial
estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to
risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ
materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results
is contained in AT&T’s filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise
statements contained in this news release based on new information
or otherwise.
This news release may contain certain non-GAAP financial
measures. Reconciliations between the non-GAAP financial measures
and the GAAP financial measures are available on the company’s
website at https://investors.att.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201209006044/en/
Sony Pictures Stacy Weitz Sony Pictures Entertainment
Phone: 310–244–8834
AT&T Fletcher Cook AT&T Phone: 214-912-8541
Email: fletcher.cook@att.com
Daphne Avila AT&T Inc. Phone: 972-266-3866 Email:
daphne.avila@att.com
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