(asia.nikkei.com)
Sony could end up spending more than 100 billion yen ($957 million) on the U.S. streamer, gaining its 70 million members around the world.
Sony has its own popular anime like "Kimetsu no Yaiba" ("Demon Slayer"), but has been licensing it to streaming services. Sony's Aniplex, the studio behind "Kimetsu no Yaiba," has a variety of content, including movies and music, that is mainly distributed by overseas companies.
If the acquisition is realized, global competition for content among companies like Netflix and Hulu will intensify.
About 90% of the US anime distribution market would be under one roof, and it’s going to be bad for everyone.
This is Sony’s plan all along: to monopolize the US anime market and complete globally with their only rival outside the US in Netflix.
This would be the trigger for people to go back to piracy and investing in physical media because monopolies kill.
Sony is on the verge of buying Crunchyroll for nearly $1 billion