Sony Acquires Peanuts Franchise for $460 Million

Sony is paying approximately four hundred sixty million dollars to purchase the Peanuts franchise and its characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, created by Charles M. Schulz. This acquisition involves a forty-one percent stake being bought from Canadian firm WildBrain.

Following this deal, Sony will hold an eighty percent stake in the franchise, having previously acquired thirty-nine percent back in two thousand eighteen. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals, but upon closure, Peanuts will become Sony's consolidated subsidiary.

Schulz's family retains the remaining twenty percent stake in the franchise. The Peanuts universe was launched by Schulz in comic strips seventy-five years ago in nineteen fifty and has since expanded into animated series, cartoon musicals, and movies, making Snoopy a household name.

Sony expressed a focus on expanding the Peanuts intellectual property since acquiring its initial stake, with Sony Music Entertainment Japan CEO Shunsuke Muramatsu stating that they are thrilled to elevate the value of the Peanuts brand by leveraging the extensive global network and expertise of the Sony Group.