A recent development earlier this month hinted the probable details of AT&T's upcoming business decision to sell out its anime streaming business, Crunchyroll to Sony which has long served as a strong competitor of anime production veteran, Funimation. If sources are to believed, the buzz about the sale of Crunchyroll to rival company, Funimation is based on AT&T's prolonged debts and its incapability to manage funding crunch.
The company has now since quite long been in constant pressure to sustainably minimize its debts from shareholder, Elliot Management. Further, sources from AT&T also added on grounds of anonymity, that owing to the global pandemic and ongoing slow-down in business negotiations on the back of coronavirus outbreak has somehow halted further negotiations of AT&T and Sony to strike a mutually beneficial deal governing Crunchyroll.
The ongoing developments also suggest the blatant delay in commencing newly appointed Jason Kilar's role as the CEO. Kilar holds a rich experience of previous employments with Hulu. The hiring was envisioned to aid Warner Media, AT&T's novel aspirations to echo superlative streaming video services of Hulu that Warner Media is envisioned to replicate soon with the launch of HBO Max. However, under prevailing circumstances, the chances of quick commencement of the above services still remain dicey.
The imminent launch of HBO Max is likely to support new anime series comprising several crowd attractions such as Full Metal Alchemist, in association with other anime series inclusive of a total of over 17 titles included under Crunchyroll Original banner. Other ambitious projects include curated versions of highly popular anime series such as Hunter x Hunter, Death Note and the like.
Further developments also suggest Crunchyroll and HBO Max's collaborative efforts to present high grade anime programs such as Kill La Kill, Berserk, and several others on the list. The tentative launch date of HBO Max is likely to be on 27th May and soon after the launch the company is directed to air a series of over 17 anime series, to tickle the imaginative spark of consumers interested in anime.