Sony is paying approximately $460 million for Buy peanuts [PDF] and its characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, created by Charles M. Schulz. This is a 41 percent stake that Sony is buying from Canadian company WildBrain. Since Sony bought 39 percent of the franchise in 2018, this will give the company an 80 percent stake. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals, but Peanuts will become a Sony subsidiary once it closes. The Schultz family still owns the remaining 20 percent stake in the franchise.
Schultz launched the Peanuts universe in comics 75 years ago, in 1950. The franchise has grown exponentially since then, spawning animated series, musicals and animated films that made Snoopy a household name. The company said it has been focused on expanding the Peanuts IP since it bought a 39 percent stake in the brand years ago. Shunsuke Muramatsu, CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, added: “With this additional ownership stake, we are pleased to be able to further elevate the value of the `PEANUTS’ brand by drawing on the Sony Group’s extensive global network and collective expertise.”