WarnerMedia Looking To Sell Anime Service Crunchyroll For Reported

WarnerMedia is apparently putting Japanese anime hub Crunchyroll on the auction block -- with Sony emerging as an interested suitor.  The Hollywood Reporter reports that despite achieving relative success as a niche service -- to the tune of 3 million Crunchyroll subscribers -- WarnerMedia’s parent company AT&T is looking to further reduce its $200 billion debt load. Accordingly, newly-installed WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar is looking to sell any assets -- including 14-year-old Crunchyroll -- that aren’t central to its entertainment business, which includes flagship streaming service HBO Max. (Crunchyroll touts a presence on HBO Max with curated programming -- in addition to its standalone service, with pricing starting at $8 per month).  If Sony were to go forward with the purchase, Crunchyroll would presumably amplify its existing anime service, Funimation, which dubs and distributes Japanese anime. That said, Sony reportedly offered less than WarnerMedia’s $1.5 billion asking price for Crunchyroll, per The Information, which first reported the talks.

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