Sony Corp.’s Culver City, California-based Sony Pictures Television Networks unit has acquired a substantial majority stake in Funimation Productions Ltd., the Flower Mound-based U.S. distributor of “Dragon Ball Z” and other Japanese cartoons, for approximately $159 million.
Gen Fukunaga, CEO of Funimation, will retain a minority stake in the business and remain CEO.
Funimation has a catalog that includes popular titles such as “Dragon Ball Z”, “Cowboy Bebop”, “One Piece”, “My Hero Academia” and “Attack on Tita.”, Funimation licenses and distributes Japanese anime content in the U.S., and operates the subscription streaming service FunimationNOW, available via the PlayStation Store, iTunes Store, Google Play, Amazon Apps, Xbox Store and mobile devices. The company also sells merchandise and DVDs through its website, Funimation.com.
“With Funimation’s long-established leadership position in anime and Sony’s direct access to the creative pipeline in Japan, it will be a great partnership to take Funimation to the next level,” Fukunaga said.