Sony Takes Majority Ownership Of 'Peanuts' In New Deal

TV & Film

Dec 20

In the world of entertainment, nothing is more valuable than a brand. If you’re a company and have an iconic brand that you can make money off of, you’re in a good spot. Thus, it was in Sony’s best interests to take advantage of an opportunity to gain control of arguably the most famous and iconic comic series of all time, Peanuts. First published in 1950 by Charles Schultz, the comic, featuring iconic characters such as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and many more, has been a global phenomenon for three quarters of a century. Now, Sony has a majority hold over the brand.

The deal is for Sony to buy the 41% stake that Canadian media company WildBrain holds in Peanuts Holdings LLC, which will give them an 80% holding, accounting for the 39% that they’d previously held. The family of Schultz owns the remaining 20%. The deal was for $630 CAD, or about $457 USD. There isn’t any indication yet of what Sony plans to do now that it has majority control. The last major Peanuts project was 2015’s The Peanuts Movie, which was both a commercial and critical success. With control now solidified and the brand still popular, it’s probable that we’ll see more Peanuts from Sony in the near future.

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