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Crunchyroll Purchases Anime Retailer Right Stuf
posted on by Alex Mateo
Crunchyroll announced on Thursday that it has purchased anime retailer Right Stuf to expand its eCommerce service. The purchase will widen Crunchyroll's eCommerce product offering with extensions in home entertainment and manga categories. The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal.
The Right Stuf website confirmed that it will continue to sell products from different companies with the exception of "Erotica products." The companies are phasing out the erotica genre content and product following their unification. All existing Right Stuf orders will be honored, and the website will keep its address. All 18+ erotica orders are being transferred to EroAnimeStore.com. Right Stuf teased that there may be future products, features, and benefits related to Crunchyroll in the future. Right Stuf and Crunchyroll stores will continue to operate separately "for the moment."
The announcement does not mention Right Stuf's licensing division Nozomi Entertainment. However, Nozomi Entertainment shared the announcement on Twitter.
Right Stuf CEO Shawne Kleckner and the Right Stuf team are joining Crunchyroll's Emerging Businesses organization, led by Terry Li.
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP advised Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Hennepin Partners and Lathrop GPM advised Right Stuf for the transaction.
Funimation and Crunchyroll announced on March 1 that Funimation and Wakanim's anime library and simulcast content have moved to Crunchyroll. Sony's Funimation Global Group completed its acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T on August 9 last year. The purchase price was US$1.175 billion, and the proceeds were paid in cash at closing.
Funimation's home video releases are also becoming listed under Crunchyroll.
Crunchyroll and Funimation first announced the acquisition in December 2020 with a purchase price of US$1.175 billion. The technology website The Information reported in August 2020 that AT&T offered Crunchyroll to Sony for US$1.5 billion and that Sony reportedly "balked at" the price, which effectively valued the streaming service at US$500 per subscriber. Entertainment news source Variety reported that AT&T was shopping the company to multiple potential buyers aside from Sony Pictures Entertainment at that time. Nikkei Asia later reported that October that Sony was in final negotiations for the Crunchyroll acquisition. At that time, the newspaper reported that Sony "could end up spending more than 100 billion yen ($957 million)."
Right Stuf was founded in 1987 as an anime retailer.
Right Stuf and Nozomi Entertainment previously announced a partnership with Funimation to stream titles in July 2019.
Update: Added more information on Right Stuf's erotica orders. Thanks, paulchaested.
Sources: Press release, Right Stuf
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