Expanding its library, Sony Pictures has just acquired Funimation a Japanese anime title distributor known for popular titles such as “Dragon Ball Z”, “Cowboy Bebop”, “One Piece”, “My Hero Academia” and “Attack on Titan”.

Funimation licenses and distributes Japanese anime content in the U.S., and operates the subscription streaming service FunimationNOW which is also available via the PlayStation Store and other streaming apps.”Around the world, Sony’s networks have been major players in the anime space for nearly two decades, and in more recent years we have rapidly increased our networks’ over-the-top and digital offerings to consumers. With the acquisition of Funimation, the combined IP of Animax, Kids Station and Funimation allows us to deliver the best anime to fans across all screens and platforms,” said Andy Kaplan, President, Worldwide Networks, Sony Pictures Television.

Animax which is owned by Sony is a multi-platform provider of Japanese anime content currently operating in 23 countries, including Japan. Other linear channel brands includes AXN, Sony Channel, and digital brands includes Crackle..