Crunchyroll, WOWOW, and Sony Pictures Announce Co-Production Partnership
Culver City, Calif., November 16, 2022 - Global anime brand Crunchyroll, alongside WOWOW and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, is announcing today a partnership for the development and production of new anime series, starting with the fantasy adventure Bye Bye, Earth.
“Anime fans love to discover new worlds and our partnership with WOWOW and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan will allow us to present new adventures to the global anime community,” said Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll. “We're excited to work with such incredible partners to create and support new content that we know will become favorites for fans worldwide.”
Bye Bye, Earth, the first title within the co-development and co-production partnership, follows the journey of Bell in her quest to discover her roots, uncovering adventures and conflicts along the way. The series will be based on the action fantasy novel by Tow Ubukata (RWBY: Ice Queendom; Ghost in the Shell Arise).
Bye Bye, Earth and each subsequent series created by Crunchyroll, WOWOW, and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan will broadcast and stream on WOWOW in Japan and will stream on Crunchyroll in more than 200 countries and territories.
“I am delighted with the collaboration with Sony Pictures and Crunchyroll, the world's major content maker and distributor. Beyond Japan, anime is a video content that global fans pay attention to. Together with WOWOW, that has produced original content with thorough commitment to quality, Sony Pictures that offers various blockbuster films and popular dramas, and Crunchyroll that is good at creating a fan community through tailor-made marketing for each title and has huge influence on global anime fans especially in Western countries, I'm looking forward to our titles powerfully reaching global fans in the future through our co-productions. Our first project will be 'Bye Bye, Earth' by Tow Ubukata. We aim to draw the charm of this grand scale fantasy masterpiece with a unique worldview that anime can offer, and inspire as many fans regardless of their nationalities, languages, and ages. We would like to create a show that the fans will love for a long time,” said Akira Tanaka, Representative Director, President & CEO, WOWOW
“I am delighted to collaborate with WOWOW, which has many original series, for the first time on this anime production to bring the title to fans. Like Drama W, WOWOW has a proven track record of producing high quality visualizations of popular original source materials, and we highly expect that the co-production with such a company enables us to offer high-grade and unique anime. We collaborate with Crunchyroll on an ongoing basis based on Sony Group's purpose, 'Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology.' Together with WOWOW, we aim to produce this title with a global perspective starting from the planning phase for this project, best utilizing our group synergy to deliver it all over the world, and offer activities that the fans can enjoy deeply. We would like the creators we work with to connect the world through our titles, which expand the chances to bring inspiration to more fans worldwide,” said Midori Tomita, Representative Director, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
About Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll connects anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories with the content and experiences they love. In addition to free ad-supported and subscription premium content, Crunchyroll serves the anime community across events, theatrical, games, consumer products, collectibles, and manga publishing.
Anime fans have access to one of the largest collections of licensed anime through Crunchyroll and translated in multiple languages for viewers worldwide. Viewers can also access simulcasts — top series available immediately after Japanese broadcast.
The Crunchyroll app is available on over 15 platforms, including all gaming consoles.
Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Japan's Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Sony Group Corporation.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan
Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc. (SPEJ) is a subsidiary of U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). SPEJ has four business divisions: Film Distribution, Distribution, Networks and International Productions, and also operates two channels run by its group companies: Animax and Kids Station.
SPEJ's Distribution provides high-quality entertainment for the enjoyment of consumers with different lifestyles through 4K ULTRA HD™ Disc, Blu-ray Disc™, DVD, TV/digital delivery and mobile access, which all incorporate the newest technologies. SPEJ not only offers content created by the SPE Motion Picture Group and SPT but also Japanese and foreign films, television programs and animation. SPEJ also licenses content from SPE's library to broadcasting stations and on-demand service providers in Japan, including 4K HDR content and game show formats.
