Anime fans, this definitely sounds like a win. Earlier this week, AT&T announced that they would be selling Crunchyroll to Sony’s Funimation for almost $2 billion. Two anime streaming giants are about to become one!
Colin Decker, CEO of Funimation Global Group, commented on the new partnership:
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.
Crunchy roll reports that they have 90 million registered users in various countries. After celebrating Crunchyroll’s successes, Tony Goncalves, Chief Revenue Officer, commented, “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.”
In Funimation’s own announcement, they promised fans that answers to all their questions would be coming soon. But for the time being, information is pretty limited about how this merger will look in the future. Both streaming services will continue to run independently “until regulatory review and approval is complete and the deal closes. So until then, it’s Anime-as-usual!”
What do you think about Crunchyroll and Funimation combining? What are some of your must-see anime from this past year? Let us know in the comments below, and keep coming back to The Nerd Stash for all of your nerdy news and needs!