Funimation looks to continue its expansion of anime distribution with the acquisition of Manga Entertainment Limited.
Manga Entertainment Limited or "Manga" is the leading distributor of anime in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Fu nimation will consolidate its UK home entertainment business to make Manga the largest distributor of anime Blu-rays/DVDs. Fans will receive more than 900 hours of subtitled and dubbed anime, the largest catalog in the region.
"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," said Mitchel Berger, vice president of sales and distribution for Funimation in a press release. "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."
"On behalf of Manga Entertainment, we're thrilled to join Funimation and their expanding global business," said Jerome Mazandarani, managing director of Manga Entertainment Limited. "We're excited for the new opportunities that lie ahead and to serve anime fans in the UK and Ireland in a bigger way than ever before."
The deal will bring more anime to FunimationNow, the company's streaming service, to the UK and Ireland. Here are a list of anime that will become immediately available for subscribers.
- A Certain Magical Index Movie
- A Certain Magical Index Season 1
- A Certain Magical Index Season 2
- A Certain Magical Index Railgun Season 1
- A Certain Magical Index Railgun Season 2
- Akira
- Bayonetta The Movie: Bloody 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
In the months to follow, series like Naruto Shippuden and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood will be added.
FunimationNow does not have the same tiered pricing structure that the service in the US and Canada has. Anime fans in the UK and Ireland can subscribe to the service for £4.99 a month or the annual plan, which costs £49.99.
What do you think of the latest Funimation deal? Which series are you looking forward to watching first? Let us know in the comments section below.
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