Sony merges anime franchises under Crunchyroll brand

[NEW YORK] Sony Group is consolidating its anime offerings under the Crunchyroll brand, 7 months after acquiring the streaming service from AT&T for US$1.2 billion.

Crunchyroll and Sony's Funimation are the go-to streaming services for Western anime fans. The 2 brands will be merged into a single subscription, giving Crunchyroll subscribers access to Funimation's previously exclusive library, with pricing plans ranging from US$7.99 to US$14.99 a month, Sony said in a statement on Tuesday (Mar 1). The prices are unchanged from Crunchyroll's current offerings.

The move will help Crunchyroll leverage its understanding of Western anime fans to expand the service at a time of booming interest in Japanese animation. Anime is the third most in-demand TV subgenre globally, according to data from Parrot Analytics. More than 190 anime titles are released every year. Sony made the purchase last year with the aim of broadening distribution for Crunchyroll's content partners and creating new offerings for anime fans as competition heats up from Netflix, Amazon.com and Hulu.

"The new Crunchyroll is the realisation of a dream, and we are grateful to the creators of anime and the millions of fans who have joined us in making the community what it is today," Crunchyroll chief executive officer Colin Decker said in the statement. BLOOMBERG