Sony Buys 'Iconic Global Entertainment Brand' Peanuts Alongside Snoopy and Charlie Brown in $460 Million Deal

Sony is buying a bulk involvement successful the Peanuts franchise, which includes satellite celebrated cartoon characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and Sony Pictures Entertainment person agreed to get Canadian media institution WildBrain’s full 41% involvement successful Peanuts Holdings LLC for 630 cardinal Canadian dollars (approx. $460 million). After the woody closes, Sony volition ain an 80% equity involvement successful Peanuts (it already owns 39%), and Peanuts volition go a consolidated subsidiary of Sony. The members of the household of Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, volition proceed to ain the remaining 20%. SMEJ volition instrumentality the pb successful managing Peanuts Holdings LLC successful concern with SPE.

Announcing the deal, Sony described Peanuts arsenic a “world-class IP.” Shunsuke Muramatsu, President and Group CEO, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), said: “Since 2018, SMEJ has been arrogant to beryllium portion of the concern down Peanuts, an iconic planetary amusement marque with a 75-year bequest of delighting audiences worldwide. With this further ownership stake, we are thrilled to beryllium capable to further elevate the worth of the Peanuts marque by drafting connected the Sony Groupʼs extended planetary web and corporate expertise.

“We are profoundly committed to carrying guardant the bequest of Charles Schulz and the Schulz family. Together with SPE, and backed by WildBrainʼs continued partnership, we volition proceed to clasp caller opportunities to guarantee that Peanuts remains a applicable and beloved beingness crossed generations — reaching caller audiences and sharing the timeless charm of the Peanuts pack for years ahead.”

Schulz’s comic portion began beingness successful 1950, erstwhile Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the remainder of the Peanuts unit appeared crossed respective U.S. newspapers. Currently, Peanuts animated shows are disposable connected Apple TV, with ongoing comic strips and a upland of merch fleshing retired the franchise. The Snoopy YouTube transmission has 750,000 subscribers.

Animated movie The Peanuts Movie (known successful immoderate countries arsenic Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie) launched successful 2015, starring the voices of Noah Schnapp arsenic Charlie Brown and, via archival recordings, Bill Melendez arsenic Snoopy and Woodstock. It was the archetypal Peanuts movie successful 35 years, and made $246.2 cardinal astatine the planetary container office.

In November 2023, a caller Peanuts movie was announced to beryllium successful development, owed to beryllium released exclusively connected Apple TV.

Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].