Wikipedia

Manga Entertainment

For the UK company formerly known as Manga Entertainment and also currently known as Crunchyroll Ltd., seeCrunchyroll UK and Ireland.

Manga Entertainmentwas a producer, licensee, and distributor ofanimein the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known asCrunchyroll Ltd.since 2022, while its U.S. branch was absorbed intoStarz Inc.(now owned byLionsgate).[1]

Manga Entertainment, LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEntertainment
GenreAnime
FoundedDecember 4, 1987;36 years ago(1987-12-04)(UK branch)
1993;31 years ago(1993)(U.S. branch)
Defunct2017;7 years ago(2017)(U.S. branch)
April 19, 2021;3 years ago(2021-04-19)(UK branch)
FateFolded intoLionsgate Home Entertainment(U.S. branch)
Spun off and later acquired by and folded intoFunimation(UK branch)
SuccessorsLionsgate Home Entertainment(2017–present, U.S. branch)
Crunchyroll UK and Ireland(2021–present, UK branch)
HeadquartersLos Angeles,California, United States
ProductsAnime
ParentIsland World Group (1991–1997)
Starz Distribution(2004–2017)
Websitewww.manga.com

Despite its name, the company's principal business was the distribution ofanimerather thanmanga,although they have published some manga (such asCrying Freeman) under the Manga Books imprint.[2]

History

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Manga Entertainment's original logo and initial imprint

Manga Entertainment (formerly Island World Communications) was founded in London in 1991 byChris Blackwelland Andrew Frain[3]as a subsidiary ofIsland Records' Island World Group. IWC took over the company number for Golden Square Music, but had no relationship to IWC or Manga.[4][5][6][7]Manga Entertainment expanded into North America in 1993 with the purchase of L.A. Hero, forming Manga U.S. while Manga UK entered the Australian market in late 1993 and began releasing titles in January 1994 in conjunction with the Australian division of Island's parent company,PolyGram(throughPolyGram Video) and local independent distributor Siren Entertainment.

On May 13, 2004,IDT Entertainment,a division ofIDT Corporationannounced they would purchase Manga U.S., becoming a subsidiary of IDT Entertainment.[8][9][10]In 2005, Manga UK and Manga U.S. began to operate independently from each other, but still remain under the same ownership.[5]Liberty Mediawould then purchase IDT Entertainment in 2006[11]and would be renamed asStarz Media.

In 2011, Manga U.S. ceased licensing new products after the release ofRedlineand was absorbed into Starz Media. On August 8, 2012, Liberty Media announced that it would spin-off Starz Media into a separate publicly traded company.[12]The spin-off ofStarz Inc.was completed on January 15, 2013[13]which included all subsidiaries.

2015–present

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On February 26, 2015, the UK branch was acquired from Starz Media, alongside its parent Anchor Bay UK, by managing director Colin Lomax.[14]Anchor Bay UK was renamed to Platform Entertainment and went on to have exclusive rights to the Manga Entertainment branding and catalog in the UK and Ireland.[15]

In June 2016,Lionsgateannounced they would acquireStarz Inc.[16][17]which would eventually be completed in December 2016, placing Manga U.S. underLionsgate Home Entertainment.In the same month, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution announced they had purchased Platform Entertainment and confirmed that they would split Manga UK off to become separately operated. After Platform Entertainment stopped distributing Manga titles, they went on to having their titles released in the UK by Spirit Entertainment.[18]

In 2017,Lionsgate Home Entertainmentrelaunched Manga U.S.' website and itsFacebookandTwitterpages, and confirmed a relaunch in the near future. Lionsgate currently licenses the Manga Entertainment brand-name fromCrunchyroll.[19]In the following year, the CEO Colin Lomax had died, between Christmas 2017 and New Years Day 2018.[20]As of September 2023, the relaunch did not happen as of yet, with some of Manga's titles likeGhost in the Shellbeing rereleased under the main Lionsgate banner.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"About Us".Archived fromthe originalon October 19, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 19,2020.
  2. ^Shirow, Masamune(1995) [1985].Appleseed Volume One: The Promethean Challenge.trans. Studio Proteus (UK ed.). London: Manga Publishing.ISBN1-900097-01-X.
  3. ^"Anime History - Manga Entertainment".[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^"MANGA ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)".beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.Archivedfrom the original on July 4, 2019.RetrievedJuly 4,2019.
  5. ^ab"Answerman - What Ever Happened to Manga Entertainment?".Anime News Network.Archivedfrom the original on July 22, 2018.RetrievedJune 28,2019.
  6. ^"Akira: The story behind the film".Empire Online.Archivedfrom the original on September 9, 2018.RetrievedJune 28,2019.
  7. ^Lent, John A. (2001). "Chapter 4: The Development of the Japanese Animation Audience in the UK and France by Helen McCarthy".Amazon Books Online.ISBN0253340357.
  8. ^"IDT Entertainment Acquires Manga Entertainment; Company Gains Extensive Library of Japanese Animation Programming".www.businesswire.com.May 13, 2004.Archivedfrom the original on February 28, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 19,2020.
  9. ^"IDT Acquires Manga Entertainment".iCV2.May 13, 2004.
  10. ^"IDT Acquiring Anime Giant Manga Ent".Animation World Network.May 13, 2004.
  11. ^"Liberty Media to Acquire IDT Entertainment; Starz's Top Premium Television Service to Join With IDT's Animation and Live Action Production and Home Entertainment Distribution Business".www.businesswire.com.May 16, 2006.Archivedfrom the original on February 28, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 19,2020.
  12. ^"New York Deadline"Liberty Media Says It Will Spin Off StarzArchivedFebruary 28, 2023, at theWayback Machinedeadline.com, Retrieved on August 8, 2012
  13. ^"Yahoo Finance"Liberty Media Spins-off StarzArchivedAugust 14, 2021, at theWayback Machinefinance.yahoo.com Zacks Equity Research, Retrieved on January 24, 2013
  14. ^"Starz Sells Manga Entertainment".Anime News Network.February 26, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on February 28, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 28,2019.
  15. ^"Colin Lomax, former Anchor Bay UK chief, dies aged 56".Screen.Archivedfrom the original on February 9, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 10,2018.
  16. ^Lieberman, David (June 30, 2016)."Lionsgate Agrees To Buy Starz For $4.4 Billion In Cash And Stock".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2016.RetrievedJune 30,2016.
  17. ^Schwindt, Oriana (December 8, 2016)."Lionsgate, Starz Close $4.4 Billion Acquisition".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on February 28, 2023.RetrievedDecember 8,2016.
  18. ^"Kaleidoscope buys distributor Platform Entertainment".Screen.Archivedfrom the original on February 12, 2022.RetrievedJuly 4,2019.
  19. ^"Manga".www.manga.com.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2021.RetrievedMay 1,2020.
  20. ^"Manga Entertainment CEO Colin Lomax Passes Away".Anime News Network.January 3, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 3,2024.
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