Few major film and/or entertainment studios do not have their own streaming platform.. And those who didn’t have it were bought or assimilated by others who had it. MGM is now owned by Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery has merged into one giant, Disney has acquired 21st Century Fox, Paramount is owned by ViacomCBS, and Universal Pictures is controlled by Comcast. In the midst of this continuous dance Sony is still independent and doesn’t have a great platform. Or if.
Sony Pictures, a film affiliate of the Japanese conglomerate, is doing business with Disney over its rights to the Spider-Man character, and it has agreements with Netflix to have its films run in theaters on the red platform first. He also co-produced many successful films from other studios and is releasing his films at the highest price in the worst of the pandemic, as he did with greyhound, a movie starring Tom Hanks on Apple TV+. Yes, I almost forgot, Sony also participated as a studio in boysthe famous Amazon series.
And, as if that wasn’t enough, in this context streaming wars in which he participates from the outside, he also has a platform. Last year Sony announces purchase of Crunchyrollthe leading anime platform has merged its offering with Funimation, a platform that has already acquired similar content years ago.
Watching anime streaming wars
The purchase price of the deal was valued at $1.175 million by Sony from AT&T, which invested in it several years ago and owns most of its shares.
The anime platform has 100 million free members and 5 million paid subscribers.. While Sony’s entry into anime streaming may seem sudden, the company has been producing anime for decades. In 1995, Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ) established Aniplex, a subsidiary formed to manage anime and music production.
Sony was already actively dabbling in the field of streaming, and it did not like it. He was one of the first to enter the streaming war, the launch of the Crackle service the same year that Netflix launched its online offering. But the service did not turn into something serious, and in the end they got rid of it.
Over the past five years, Sony has expanded its portfolio of international streaming services through acquisitions starting in 2015 with French anime streaming service Wakanim. In 2018, the company bought Australian anime distributor Madman Anime and its streaming service AnimeLab. A year earlier, an independent subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television acquired the American anime distributor Funimation, which we already mentioned. Later in 2019, Aniplex and Sony Pictures Television brought all these streaming services together under the Funimation name.
And keep the movie alive
At the same time, without a massive streaming service of its own, Sony is betting more than its competitors on the return of cinema. Sony executives describe their commitment to cinemas as part of a strategy to attract talent and secure high prices when selling films to streaming services.which are usually paid on a box office basis.
Although his most famous films of this past year, such as Morbius or unknown They didn’t do very well, their plan is clear.
Instead of going up against Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures or Paramount – all of which are trying to use the films they make to lure consumers to their streaming services – Sony is bluntly saying it hopes to get a cut. situation.
“None of them can stand against the others, but they can all stand against us”said Tom Rothman, chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures, adding that his company’s future will be brighter if it sells films to competitors. “Of course, it was a zigzag strategy. It has been very profitable for us,” he commented in statements Wall Street Journal a few months later.
Sony agrees with everyone
Recently, Sony closed a couple of big deals to supply Netflix and Disney movies.. Sony titles released over a five-year period starting in 2022, including new Spider-Man movies, will be available on Netflix after they’ve been in theaters.
Sony has also agreed to give Netflix the choice of films the studio makes specifically for streaming platforms. Then, in addition, after passing through Netflix, Sony premieres in theaters will go to Disney, who will be able to show them on Disney Plus. Double business.
The Netflix and Disney deals combined are worth almost $3 billion over several years.
In addition, Sony continues to make agreements to create TV series that will air on various streaming services such as HBO Max and Netflix, making it clear that sometimes not getting involved in a business that everyone is betting on can also be a very good decision. . . .
