Sony Pictures and Music have signed a deal to acquire Canadian animation company Wildbrain’s 41% ownership interest in Peanuts. Combined with Sony’s current 39% stake in Peanuts Holdings LLC, this gives the conglomerate most control of the rights to the classic comic, with the remaining 20% still owned by the family of author Charles M. Schulz. WildBrain shares were traded for $630 million (US$457.14) in cash, eliminating all of the company’s debt and leaving it with a surplus of more than $40 million.
“Sony has been a great partner for the Peanuts brand for many years, and we are confident that Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang will get along well with them,” said Josh Scherba, president and CEO of WildBrain, in a statement. “We would like to thank the Peanuts Worldwide team and the Schulz family for their great cooperation. We look forward to continuing to work with them and Sony to drive Peanuts’ global success.”
Sony first bought a stake in Peanuts in 2018, a year after WildBrain (then known as DHX Media) acquired most of the rights from Iconix Brand Group. Under the new agreement, Wildbrain says it will continue to be a key partner for the franchise in a variety of areas, including licensing consumer products in Europe, the Middle East and China. Create new Peanuts media for Apple TV. Continued operation of Snoopy YouTube channel.
Peanuts, which celebrated its 75th anniversary earlier this year, is still going strong with new specials, shorts and series being released frequently on Apple TV, as well as a new video game, Snoopy & the Great Mystery Club. The deal with Apple is expected to run through at least 2030 and include new feature films. (The 2015 Peanuts movie was produced by Blue Sky Studios, meaning it will remain a Disney property.) However, with Sony’s new ownership control, don’t be surprised if future Peanuts projects are produced by Sony Pictures Animation (home of Spider-Verse films, KPop Demon Hunters, etc.) or Sony Pictures TV Kids instead.
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