Sony Corporation announced Thursday during its annual corporate strategy presentation that it will establish an academy to develop anime creative talent.
Kodoani.com – Aniplex will aim to “nurture anime creators in the global marketplace, primarily through partnerships with Aniplex and Crunchyroll, with support from across industries.”
Aniplex is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ). Animation studios A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks are also subsidiaries of Aniplex.
Sony's Funimation Global Corporation completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T on August 9, 2021, after announcing the acquisition in December 2020. The purchase price was $1.175 billion and the amount has been paid in cash at the end of the transaction. Currently, Funimation's home video releases are listed in Crunchyroll's catalog.
Crunchyroll reached over 13 million paid subscribers for its anime streaming service by the end of December 2023.