Short answers, pulled from the story.
Crunchyroll launched on the 14th of May 2006 as a pirate site that specialized in hosting East Asian content, including fan-subtitled versions of anime and other shows. It transitioned to legal distribution by 2009 after securing deals with companies including TV Tokyo.
Sony acquired Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion, completing the deal on the 9th of August 2021. The United States Department of Justice extended an antitrust review of the acquisition before it was finalized.
Crunchyroll has 21 million subscriptions and is ranked among the top fifteen most-subscribed video on demand streaming services globally.
Crunchyroll Originals was a label for anime and animated series co-produced or directly produced by Crunchyroll, announced on the 25th of February 2020. Following Sony's acquisition, the brand was quietly discontinued alongside the closure of Crunchyroll's in-house production studios.
Crunchyroll fired SAG-AFTRA member Kyle McCarley from Mob Psycho 100 in September 2022 after he conditioned non-union work on meetings with SAG-AFTRA. The Coalition of Dubbing Actors alleged that Crunchyroll's shift to a Texas studio was designed to avoid union organizing, and voice actor Marin Miller alleged the company used unenforceable contracts and refused AI protections.
Crunchyroll is owned by Sony Group Corporation. Sony completed its acquisition on the 9th of August 2021, after which it consolidated Funimation, Wakanim, and VRV into Crunchyroll, and rebranded Funimation Global Group, LLC as Crunchyroll, LLC on the 1st of March 2022.