If you are an anime fan, the current woes felt by those needing to subscribe to multiple streaming platforms is one you have had to deal with for some time now. Among the myriad options out there, two reigned supreme – Funimation and Crunchyroll – but now the pair will fall under the same banner.

This as Sony Pictures confirmed its acquisition of Crunchyroll earlier this week in a deal estimated to be around $1.175 billion, with a deal first touted in December of last year.

“We are very excited to welcome Crunchyroll to the Sony Group. Anime is a rapidly growing medium that enthralls and inspires emotion among audiences around the globe. The alignment of Crunchyroll and Funimation will enable us to get even closer to the creators and fans who are the heart of the anime community.  We look forward to delivering even more outstanding entertainment that fills the world with emotion through anime,” noted said Kenichiro Yoshida, chairman, president and CEO of the Sony Group Corporation, in a press statement.

“With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV — everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible,” he added.

Based on the comments, that sounds like good news for anime fans, but it remains to be seen what will happen with Crunchyroll’s content, with the company having developed several in-house series in recent years, not to mention the sale of merchandise being a significant revenue generator.

It looks like we’ll have to wait to see what develops in the coming months, and how this will impact subscribers to either service down the line. For now no communications have been shared with Crunchyroll subscribers, which is the only one of the two platforms available in South Africa sans VPN.

“The two brands you know and love will be working together, and we believe this is a great thing for fans and the industry, alike! Both teams are knowledgeable, passionate, and have been committed to the anime community for decades. We couldn’t ask for better partners,” Crunchyroll shared in a short blog post.

If it means one unified platform with access to larger amounts of content, both original and third-party, then we’re all for it.