Sony's Big Anime Gamble

Sony's Big Anime Gamble

August 18, 2020

August 18, 2020

This past week, news reports broke that AT&T's WarnerMedia is in talks to sell its Crunchyroll ownership to Sony. As the biggest international anime streaming service on the market, Crunchyroll has helped launch the popularity of anime into the mainstream and remove many of the barriers that that tend to send anime fans to copyright-infringing services. But with a Sony ownership on the horizon, questions are swirling about how Crunchyroll could rise (or fall) in the hands of a major corporation like Sony.

Streamer's Spotlight: Anime's International Future with Sony at the Helm of Cruncyroll

Anime is bigger than ever. The industry is now worth over

, and major streaming services including Netflix are getting in on the game with both original content production and international distribution. It's no wonder that WarnerMedia, which currently owns Crunchyroll, is considering selling it for a cool

.

Sony's ownership could go either way, however. The company's track record of keeping its own streaming media services alive (RIP PlayStation Vue) leaves much to be desired. This begs the question: What would Crunchyroll look like under Sony's management?

A Name Change

Sony may consider changing the name of Crunchyroll. That'd probably be a bad idea, as the name "Crunchyroll" fits well with the fan base and, in truth, is incredibly well established at this point. And from a company that couldn't seem to figure out that the name "PlayStation Vue" was confusing enough to drive away potential new customers, the idea of Sony changing the name is quite a bit concerning, even if hypothetical.

Funimation/Crunchyroll Merge

Sony currently owns the Funimation brand. Funimation primarily serves up dubbed versions of anime, an area that Crunchyroll only recently began to dive more into. If Sony does purchase Crunchyroll, it could well merge the two services. This, again, brings up the idea of a name change (Funiroll? Crunchimation?). Alternatively, Sony could just phase one of the two out altogether.

VRV Could Come With it

Both Crunchyroll and Funimation content are currently available together through the VRV streaming service, which WarnerMedia currently also owns. If WarnerMedia sells Crunchyroll, it may decide to include VRV as part of the deal. If that happens, Sony will have some major decision making to do, as VRV already is exactly the type of product a Crunchyroll/Funimation combination would create.

That eventuality also means Sony could (in some timeline) drop both the Funimation and Crunchyroll brand names in favor of VRV.

Price Increase

Let's face it: Sony loves increasing prices. Excessively high prices are part of what killed its PS Vue live TV service (yes, we're still on that). If Sony is able to snag up Crunchyroll, it'll control a vast part of the US and international anime distribution market. There's little chance it wouldn't capitalize on that advantage with a price increase.

When AT&T acquired Crunchyroll in 2019, the company (predictably) raised the price, from $6.95 per month to $7.99. A sony ownership would likely result in another price increase. $9.99 per month is not out of the realm of possibility within a year after a potential sale.

This Week's Streaming Guide

1. Discovery Channel Goes Sports with New 'Dodgeball Thunderdome'

Dodgeball is no longer restricted to the school gym. Watch Discovery's foray into sports with its

Dodgeball Thunderdome

Wednesday (August 18) at 9 PM EST.

 

-

2. Discovery Channel Takes on 'Shark Tank' with New 'I Quit' Show

Filmed at Shopify Studios, Discovery's new show

I Quit

features individuals quitting steady jobs to strike out on launching their own businesses. Premieres on Discovery Wednesday (August 18) at 10 PM EST. -

3. Basketball Will Never Be the Same With Netflix 'Hoops' Cartoon

A foul-mouthed coach thinks he can get his team's act together in this irreverent cartoon. Watch

Hoops

on Netflix this Friday (August 21) -

4. Freeform Comedy Series Uses Coronavirus as Its Base

Freeform's new comedy romance, Love in the Time of Coron, explores the lives of several individuals looking for "love, sex, and connection" in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the premiere this Saturday (August 22) at 8 PM EST.-

News and Industry Developments

1. Fate of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender" Live-Action Remake in Question

The original co-creators have left the project, citing significant differences between their vision and what Netflix plans to do with the show. -

2. Texas Town Takes Netflix and Hulu to Court

The town claims the companies owe it tax money for requiring use of the internet to stream. -

3. SportsGrid Launches on Sling TV

Lovers of sports stats will find their appetite satisfied with this digital-first linear channel offering real-time coverage of sports in stats form. -

4. FuboTV Files for IPO

It appears the company is readying itself to go public in a big way. -

Reply

or to participate.