Crunchyroll Makes Shocking Purchase, Furthering Their Brand
Founded on May 14, 2006, by parent organizations Sony Pictures and Funimation, Crunchyroll has been the go-to OTT streaming service for manga anime lovers. It seems like the anime streaming giant is now expanding its territory with its latest acquisition. What did Crunchyroll acquire? Keep reading to find out!
Crunchyroll recently declared the news of this acquisition on its official news page. It stated that it had closed a deal to acquire one of the largest online anime-focused retailers, Right Stuf. The brand is popular for selling manga and anime along with related paraphernalia, including apparel, figures, licensed games, and more.
Crunchyroll Expands Its eCommerce Offering With Right Stuf
Right Stuf also sells some manga/anime-adjacent products such as American graphic novels. This is an important step for the streaming platform as they plan to expand their eCommerce offerings for anime fans. As per CBR.com, although the company has its own eCommerce store, the focus has been more on the offerings of the streaming service. With Right Stuf, which is a considerably larger retailer in comparison, Crunchyroll can now focus on both.
[Source: Crunchyroll]
However, this acquisition didn’t go down well with the audience. Comments on the official announcement by Crunchyroll are packed with concerned fans that worry that the acquisition might spell disaster for the Right Stuf brand.
What Happens To Sentai Filmworks’ Content Post Acquisition?
Some pointed out that the retailer currently stocks several anime distributed by Sentai Filmworks, which is a company operated by Hidive, a direct competitor of Crunchyroll. As of now, there isn’t any indication that any products from Sentai Filmworks will be removed from the Right Stuf platform. Yet, fans are concerned about the future of these products by the competitor.
[Source: YouTube]
Right Stuf is the latest in the train of acquisitions made by Sony in an effort to brand Crunchyroll as a one-stop shop for anime lovers. Recently, the complete library of Funimation, which is also owned by Sony, started appearing on Crunchyroll. After the acquisition, the complete library is expected to transition to Crunchyroll eventually. However, as of now, Funimation is still the go-to library for some of the major content pieces from the anime that include names like the English dub of One Piece. It hasn’t yet been moved to Crunchyroll.
Right Stuf Platform Hasn’t Undergone Major Changes Yet
Given that the acquisition is fairly recent, it isn’t clear what the deal entails. It is yet to be seen whether the website will remain untouched or undergo massive changes under the new regime. Among these massive changes is the fact that subscribers can now access both Crunchyroll and Funimation’s content using any of the service’s three subscription tiers.
[Source: YouTube]
Some titles are also available for fans to stream for free, but they do come with advertisements. After the Funimation merger, the company has largely scaled back on its free offerings. Additionally, manga, anime, and any merchandise sold by the retailer is available for purchase via the Right Stuf website.
What do you think of Crunchyroll’s latest acquisition? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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