NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A — Today, Paramount Global, an American mass media conglomerate that owns broadcaster CBS and TV/film conglomerate Viacom, announced an unprecedented deal with AniPlex, Bandai Namco, Toei Animation, Studio Ghibli, and more.
In the deal that will become official starting on December 1, 2024, all major anime studios will provide the exclusive streaming licensing rights to Paramount for their streaming service, Paramount+, for a grand total of $69.420 billion USD, a historic move for anime and for Paramount as a whole. This deal will allow Paramount to acquire incredibly well-known anime, such as One Piece, Spirited Away and Sword Art Online.
In a press release from Paramount, chairwoman Shari Redstone said the following:
“Paramount Global is proud to bring more money into our fold today with the acquisition of exclusive streaming rights to some sweaty nerd content. We’re committed to expanding Paramount+ to its highest potential: maybe rivaling Prime Video.”
– Shari Redstone, Chairwoman, Paramount Global
So far, AniPlex, currently owned by Paramount rival Sony Group Corporation, has been the only studio to release a statement on the matter that we could get in English, where President and CEO Atsuhiro Iwakami stated:
“The tubby American market for anime has been shooting up as more and more young men don’t leave their mother’s basement. We had to capitalize on this market.”
– Atsuhiro Iwakami, President/CEO, AniPlex
When asked by reporters at AniPlex’s press conference in Chiyoda, Tokyo, about why AniPlex would ditch their own service, Crunchyroll, for Paramount+, he muttered something about “infinite amounts of yen”, but was otherwise unintelligible.
At press time, Paramount Global further announced that they would launch an exclusive “Paramount+ for Those With No Bitches” plan for $4.99/month that only includes the anime on the service, with occasional ads to support it.
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