Late last September, 24th September to be exact, Sony Pictures Television announced that they are joining forces with Aniplex to consolidate three Sony-owned distribution companies into a single joint venture. Funimation (United States), Madman Anime Group (Australia), and Wakanim (France) will be consolidated into a single joint venture, which will be consolidated and operate under Funimation’s umbrella.
Colin Decker, who became Funimation’s general manager in May, will lead the joint venture, which will acquire and distribute Japanese anime through the three component companies. The joint venture will operate under Funimation’s name and will cover 10 languages in 49 countries with about 300 employees.
“Anime is a growing area of importance for us at Sony Pictures Television,” SPT chairman Mike Hopkins said in announcing the JV. “By combining these businesses, we immediately increase our global reach and expertise in [subscription] VOD, theatrical, home video, merchandising, events and more.”
“It just became clear when we looked at the global view of anime at Sony, these things should really be together,” Colin Decker said who is heading up the joint venture for both Funimation and Aniplex.
“Aniplex is one of the most respected names in anime and strategically this positions us to deliver more value to fans and creators.”
According to Variety, the first title to be released under this arrangement will be Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. The title will stream as a simulcast on FunimationNow, Wakanim, and Madman’s AnimeLab service. The title will be served as an exclusive to these services for thirty days. Moreover, Funimation will maintain a one-year timed exclusive on the dubbed adaptation.
“Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia” is based on one of the most popular chapters in Part 1 of the mobile game, transporting viewers back to the age of ancient Mesopotamia in 2655 B.C. and the city of Uruk, governed by the wise King Gilgamesh. The fortress city is under siege by deities and demonic beasts, and protagonist Ritsuka Fujimaru and his companion Mash Kyrielight must lead a last-ditch effort to prevent humanity’s extinction.
Prior to the joint venture, Funimation was owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Wakanim and Madman were properties owned by Sony Music Japan’s Aniplex division.
Funimation was founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga. The publisher, which originally launched as an entity devoted to bringing Dragon Ball Z to North American retailers. In October 2017, Funimation was acquired by Sony Pictures TV, in a deal valued at $143 million. Colin Decker joined the organization on May 6, replacing Fukunaga as the company’s general manager.
On May 29, Funimation announced that they acquired London-based anime distributor Manga Entertainment. Under the agreement, Funimation’s UK home entertainment arm was absorbed into Manga, making the company the largest distributor of anime DVDs and Blu-Rays in the region.
Wakanim is a digital platform based in Tourcoing, France that’s owned by Aniplex, Inc.
On February 6, Madman announced that they sold their anime division to Aniplex Inc. According to the publication, Aniplex purchased Madman Anime in a deal valued at $35 million AUD. The news came one year after news arose that that Madman saw Aniplex purchase a minority stake in the company. On November 15, 2017, Madman agreed to issue additional shares and provided a minority interest to the Japanese publisher.
In addition to Funimation, Sony owns the subsidiary anime production companies A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks through Aniplex. Aniplex established a Shanghai-based subsidiary in April with the intent of starting on “full-scale” Chinese animation production, as well as sell merchandise.
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