Carlos Morales
Longtime UK and Ireland anime distributor Manga Entertainment has been acquired by Funimation
Announced on Wednesday Manga Entertainment Limited has been acquired by Funimation. Manga Entertainment Ltd., a London-based distributor is the leading distributor of anime in the U.K. and Ireland.
Funimation, the anime content unit of Sony Pictures Television also said with the announcement of the acquisition of Manga Entertainment “Manga is a long-term partner of Funimation and currently serves anime fans across a wide range of channels, including Blu-ray/DVDs, broadcast, theatrical and digital.” And went on to say, “Following its immediate consolidation of Funimation’s U.K. home entertainment business, Manga will become the largest distributor of anime Blu-rays/DVDs, offering fans more than 900 hours of subtitled and dubbed entertainment — the biggest catalog of titles available anywhere in the U.K. and Ireland.”
These are some of the titles available through FunimationNow in the United Kingdom and Ireland:
- Akira
- Bayonetta: Blood Fate
- Casshern Sins
- Ghost in the Shell: Innocence
- Samurai Warriors (season 1)
- Soul Eater Not!
- Summer Wars
- Sword Art Online (season 1)
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Wolf Children
This year marking the 25th anniversary of Funimation the Texas-based company was founded by Gen Fukunaga, who stepped down as CEO earlier this year and was replaced by Colin Decker a former executive at Crunchyroll. The FunimationNow streaming service is available to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The Funimation catalog includes more than 600 titles encompassing over 10,000 hours of subtitled and dubbed entertainment which it offers through streaming, home video releases, and theatrical and broadcast distribution.
Mitchel Berger, VP Sales, and Distribution for Funimation said, “With this acquisition, we will create a truly immersive anime experience for fans in the UK and Ireland. This begins with providing fans access to Manga’s library of titles to enjoy whenever and wherever they want on FunimationNow. Together with the Manga team, Funimation will bring its fan-first omnichannel approach to serving anime fans – engaging with them directly through the widest array of touchpoints.”
Sony Pictures Television acquired Funimation in 2017 and as a result, ended its content-sharing partnership with Crunchyroll last November then signed a first-look streaming deal with Hulu the following December.
Along with Funimation, Animax is a subsidiary of Sony. Sony also owns the subsidiary anime production companies A-1 Pictures and Clover Works through Aniplex. Australian film distributor Madman Entertainment sold its anime division to Aniplex in February. Aniplex established a Shanghai-based subsidiary in April with the intent of starting on “full-scale” Chinese animation production, as well as sell merchandise.
“We’re excited for the new opportunities that lie ahead and to serve anime fans in the U.K. and Ireland in a bigger way than ever before,” said Jerome Mazandarani, managing director of Manga Entertainment.