North American anime company Funimation has announced on Saturday that they have closed the deal with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) to acquire majority stake in the Texas-based company.

The acquisition makes Funimation a part of a conglomerate that also owns the anime channels Animax and Kids Station in Japan.

 

The anime company released a statement on their website, saying:

It’s official. The deal has closed for Sony Pictures Television Networks to acquire Funimation — and we’re incredibly excited!

We’re still the Funimation you’ve known and grown up with, and now with the power of Sony, and with Gen at the helm, we have the opportunity to bring the best anime to even more fans across the world. We’ve updated our FAQs with more details below.

Thank you for watching!

 

As reported in August, SPT has entered an agreement to purchase 95% ownership of the anime company for USD143 million (about PHP7.35 billion), valuing at USD150 million (about PHP7.8 billion).

Funimation founder and chief executive Gen Fukunaga retains a minority stake and remains as the company’s CEO.

According to the FAQ posted on the website, the company’s release schedules, “simuldubs”, streaming service, and operations will remain the same.

 

Funimation is known for distributing content such as Attack on Titan, Detective Conan, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Dragon Ball for television broadcasts, home video, and on-demand services.

According to a Bloomberg report last May, Sony’s television unit bid to acquire Funimation. Universal Pictures, the film division of American telecommunications conglomerate Comcast Corporation, also weighed bidding but decided not to push through.

In September last year, the company has also partnered with streaming service Crunchyroll, where both services would be able to cross-stream from each of their platforms.

 

USD 1 = PHP 51.39 as of November 2, 2017