Sony is buying Peanuts

"Sony is paying approximately $460 milliion to purchase Peanuts [PDF] and its characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, created by Charles M. Schulz. That's a 41 percent stake Sony is buying from Canadian firm WildBrain. Since Sony bought 39 percent of the franchise back in 2018, this will give the company an 80 percent stake. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals, but Peanuts will become Sony's consolidated subsidiary once it's closed. Schulz's family still owns the remaining 20 percent stake in the franchise."

"The company said that it has focused on expanding the Peanuts IP since it bought 39 percent of the brand years ago. "With this additional ownership stake, we are thrilled to be able to further elevate the value of the ʻPEANUTSʼ brand by drawing on the Sony Groupʼs extensive global network and collective expertise," Sony Music Entertainment Japan CEO Shunsuke Muramatsu added."

Sony is acquiring a 41 percent stake in Peanuts from WildBrain for about $460 million, increasing its total ownership to 80 percent after a prior 39 percent purchase in 2018. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and will make Peanuts a consolidated Sony subsidiary once completed. The Schulz family retains the remaining 20 percent stake. Charles M. Schulz launched Peanuts in 1950, and the franchise expanded into animated series, musicals, and films that made Snoopy widely known. Sony plans to further expand and elevate the PEANUTS brand using its global network and expertise.

Read at Engadget