Forum - View topicNEWS: Report: U.S. Justice Department Extends Antitrust Review of Sony's Proposed Acquisition of Cru
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Lynx Raven Raide
 Posts: 412 Location: Central Coast, AU |
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Pretty much this. That being said, given the negative feedback I've seen I do wonder if FGG would shelve FuniNow and use CR since it seems to be a more better, or at least favourable platform. AnimeLab is seen as a better platform in the region (and to those with VPN) so I cant see them dumping it, and I think the same for Wakanim, but yeah, use it to replace the NA platform and go into regions it covers and FGG were looking to go into |
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-SP-
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Im hoping the deal goes through, so that Anime streaming services can be consolidated. Otherwise it is going to end up like regular streaming services, where you need like 5 different ones just to watch all your shows.
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Aresef
Posts: 914 Location: MD |
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I didn't necessarily see this coming but I guess that's why I'm not an antitrust lawyer. I know the new administration looks at monopoly concerns in tech differently from the last one, but it's surprising that they're concerned about the options available to Japanese companies.
Even if there were other suitors out there, I can't really think of any company where CR would fit as well that can also afford something in the ballpark of what Sony is willing to pay. I also, again, think it's a hell of a thing that CR got its start with piracy and is now worth $1.3 billion. |
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Madster
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IMO, I think the deal is still gonna go through unfortunately, and if it doesn't then AT&T will just shop Crunchyroll around to other buyers. The whole reason why this sale happened is because Warner/AT&T is scrambling to sell off assets to pay off debt.
I do agree with the notion that Sony is buying CR just to gain access to international markets. There's also speculation that Sony wants to start its own streaming service. |
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Cutiebunny
 Posts: 1755 |
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Usually, when these sorts of things go through, it's the consumer that loses in the end. Meaning that, instead of choosing to pay for what services you do want, you're now paying at least twice what you were paying because there is no alternative. |
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jdnation
Posts: 2018 |
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I don't see why the deal wouldn't go through.
Every now and then the gub'mint likes to flex its normally atrophied muscles. The angle is probably looking at a monopoly on 'exclusively' anime streaming services, versus just a streaming service 'with anime.' But I'm guessing it'd be too small of a market for anyone to care. And when it comes to tech and media monopolies, the USA dropped all of the balls long ago, and that's why a handful of major corps run the country. |
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cheezenub
 Posts: 4 |
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It's all about the big gorilla in the market : Netflix.
Consolidating Funi and CR is a big response to the money Netflix (and to some extent Amazon) is throwing at anime. Funi, Cr and HiDive see that based upon money alone, they will have difficulty competing as stand alone companies. They just don't have the resources individually. Even Sony/Funi doesn't have the available resources to directly compete with the big dog(s). But, together with CR they may have enough sway, through established relationships, to hang around. It's all about Netflix and Amazon to a lessor extent. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6881 Location: Kazune City |
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I always thought that the anime viewerbase wanted a streaming monopoly. After all, the Gabe Newell Cult of Personality / "Piracy is a Service Problem  " crowd has long contended that the real issue with the current streaming landscape is not price, but rather the scourges of "multiple payments" or "inconvenience" or "not having everything in one place." So by that logic, they should be willing to pay something like $15-$30 a month for a service that alleviates those issues, right?
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Cutiebunny
Posts: 1755 |
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Perhaps if I were the type of person that sat down and watched anime all day/every day, then yes, $30/month would be fine. But in a typical season, I might watch 1 show and maybe go through previous series for an episode or 2 that I enjoyed, that I need a screenshot of to match with some artwork I own from said episode, etc. $30/month is not worth it for me...not when I have alternatives like Netflix, Amazon, etc. that I use several times per week to watch whatever non-anime shows they feature. There might be a free version where I have to watch a million commercials just to see one episode but that, too, is not worth it for me. I'm so far out of the loop that I don't know who Gabe Newell is lol |
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Aresef
Posts: 914 Location: MD |
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The thing about a streaming monopoly is not everybody likes CR. And if Sony controls CR and folds Funimation Now into it, there’s not really anywhere else for fans to go besides Netflix. And what you’re going to see is that individual shows have a harder time standing out. Gen Fukunaga made an observation like this when Netflix landed Eva. Netflix can outbid anybody and, to them, Eva is just another thing in their library. On the other hand, Funi was able to give MHA the full-court press.
https://www.polygon.com/2018/12/11/18135919/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-funimation-interview |
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13581 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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If Funi didn't own any foreign streaming service outside of a foreign language version of FunimationNow and was not controlled mostly by Sony, I would be way more in agreement with Funi getting CR. As it stands, I am less opposed to it than Disney getting 20CF.
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