Singapore – Sony Group is reportedly in talks to buy Kadokawa, the Japanese media conglomerate giant, according to a recent report from Reuters. In it, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed ongoing talks between the two parties.
The report also notes that should the talks be successful, a deal can be signed in the coming weeks.
Should the deal proceed, this will make Sony the handler of a large chunk of Japanese media offerings on a global scale, which encompasses physical and digital publications, game development, animation studios, as well as other related overseas subsidiaries and owned entities.
In 2021, Sony’s anime distribution service Funimation completed the acquisition of fellow anime streaming service Crunchyroll from global telco network AT&T for a disclosed amount of US$1.175b.
Since then, the company has expanded its reach to more markets globally, including in Asia-Pacific. Earlier this year, Crunchyroll made its move in Indonesia to launch a localised campaign to celebrate more localised content for Indonesian anime fans.
In a recent exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Akshat Sahu, senior director of marketing for APAC at Crunchyroll stated then that the platform’s expansion is in response to growing appetite for anime content in region–albeit to increasing competition from other streaming platforms–local and international.
“We’re ramping up our expansion to meet this demand by bringing fans closer to the anime they love. Our aim is to create a localised experience that caters to the unique cultural and consumption preferences of each market. By expanding further into Southeast Asia, we aim to provide fans with seamless access to an extensive collection of anime and introduce them to new and exciting titles at the same time as they stream in Japan,” he said.
