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Sony Reportedly Enters Final Talks To Buy Crunchyroll For Almost $1 Billion

Consolidation ahoy! Sony is already home to several anime units, including Crunchyroll’s main competitor Funimation.

As part of the restructuring, Cartoon Network boss Tom Ascheim says that the brand will “not always be cartoons.”

A caveat: that growth has been entirely reversed by the pandemic.

The division plans to develop more than 30 new kids’ shows, both animated and live action, over next three years.

Gordon will oversee the company’s animation teams in London, Montreal, and Vancouver.

The company picked up 2.2 million subscribers in Q3, falling short of analyst forecasts of 3.3 million.

The first title they are developing is “Mother Nature,” a character-driven action adventure with ecological overtones.

The new studio is creatively led by Brad Lewis, a veteran of Pixar and Dreamworks.

The division will produce and distribute “coveted anime series” both in Japan and globally.

The streamer’s partnerships with the two high-profile creators bring diversity to the fore.

“In the years leading up to this crisis,” writes Warren, “your company prioritized the enrichment of executives and stockholders.”

“Covid accelerated the rate at which we made this transition,” said CEO Bob Chapek, “but [it] was going to happen anyway.”

Commercial networks have been calling for this change for years. Australian producers are aghast.

The management shakeup comes as Nickelodeon’s animation studio continues to grow in the pandemic.

Warner Bros. Spain has announced plans to invest in or produce 8–10 features a year in the country — both live action and animation.

The changes come as the company launches an initiative to grow its presence in the kids, family, and young adult sphere.

Clark is an experienced professor and creative consultant. His expertise lies in diversity and digital equity.

The deal represents Microsoft’s biggest video game acquisition to date.

“Malaysia is like a hidden gem — not talked up a lot globally. It’s a quiet giant of animation.”

The report also reveals how well animation is represented on each SVOD platform.