In one of the biggest business acquisitions in anime history, Sony Pictures Entertainment have officially bought Crunchyroll from AT&T for US$1.17 billion. 

Sony already own Funimation, one of the leading anime streaming services beside Crunchyroll. Their aim is to combine the two into one unified service with a massive catalog. Sony Pictures Entertainment Chariman & CEO Tony Vinciquerra said:

"Crunchyroll adds tremendous value to Sony's existing anime businesses, including Funimation and our terrific partners at Aniplex and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV -- everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible.”

The deal was investigated by the US Department of Justice on the basis that it could result in Sony having a monopoly on western anime streaming services, but it concluded that other sites like Netflix also have a considerable stake in anime streaming, meaning the purchase was allowed to proceed as planned.

Right now there's no news on what this means for current subscribers or employees, but there is speculation that Sony will include Funiroll/Crunchymation passes with PlayStation Plus packages. More news is sure to follow soon.

What do you guys think of Crunchyroll becoming a Sony property? What would you like to see them do with the brand? Let us know below!