Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony Pictures agreed to buy Canadian studio WildBrain's 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings, which owns the rights to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts characters, for C$630 million (about $457 million). With the 39% Sony Music Japan already held, Sony owns 80% and now consolidates Peanuts; Charles Schulz's family keeps 20%. The deal On December 19, 2025, WildBrain, a Canadian children's media company, agreed to sell its roughly 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings to Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and Sony Pictures Entertainment for C$630 million in cash, about $457 million. Sony's Japanese disclosure put the cost at about ¥72 billion. Sony's later SEC filing said the stake had been acquired, subject to the usual working-capital adjustments. About Peanuts Peanuts began as Charles M. Schulz's comic strip in 1950. Peanuts Holdings owns the rights to the strip and its characters, which are licensed for TV specials, films, theme parks, clothing and toys around the world; Japan is one of its biggest markets. The Schulz family has kept a 20% stake. How Sony got here Sony Music Entertainment Japan bought 39% of Peanuts in 2018, alongside WildBrain (then DHX Media). WildBrain used the new cash to fully repay its senior secured credit facility. With this deal, Sony's music and film units together own 80%, and Peanuts became a consolidated Sony subsidiary. Sony's character strategy Sony wants to own characters and stories that it can use across games, music, film, anime and merchandise, as it has done with Crunchyroll and its game studios. Control of Peanuts gives it one of the best-known brands in children's and family entertainment. What to watch New Peanuts films, series and games from Sony, and whether licensing income grows faster under Sony than under WildBrain.
