Sony Expands Hold Over ‘Peanuts’ Brand in Growing Content Push

Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the worldAmericas+1 212 318 2000EMEA+44 20 7330 7500Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the worldAmericas+1 212 318 2000EMEA+44 20 7330 7500Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000Sony Group Corp.’s music and pictures units plan to spend around $460 million to take control of the company housing the classic Peanuts brand, created by Charles M. Schulz, expanding the Tokyo-based group’s reach in content.Sony Music Entertainment Japan Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. will together indirectly acquire a roughly 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings LLC from WildBrain Ltd. for 630 million Canadian dollars, making it a Sony subsidiary, the Japanese company said in a statement Friday. That would expand Sony’s ownership over the home of beloved icons Snoopy and Charlie Brown to an indirectly held 80% stake, while members of Schulz’s family will hold the remaining 20%, pending regulatory approval.