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Manga Entertainment

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Manga Entertainment
Company typeSubsidiary (formerly)
IndustryAnime distribution, licensing, production
Founded1991 in London, United Kingdom
FounderChris Blackwell, Andy Frain
FateU.S. branch merged into Starz Media (2011); UK division evolved into Crunchyroll UK and Ireland (2022)
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Australia
Key people
Colin Lomax (former CEO)
ProductsAnime distribution, licensing; manga publishing (e.g. Crying Freeman)
ParentLionsgate (U.S. branch), Crunchyroll UK and Ireland (UK branch)

Manga Entertainment functioned as a producer, licensor, and distributor of anime across the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, and Australia. Established in the UK in 1991, its British division evolved into Crunchyroll UK and Ireland, also referred to as Crunchyroll Ltd. since 2022. Meanwhile, the U.S. branch was integrated into Starz Inc., which is currently owned by Lionsgate.

Although the company’s name suggests a focus on manga, its primary operations centered on anime distribution. Nevertheless, it did publish several manga titles such as Crying Freeman under the Manga Books label.

History

Originally known as Island World Communications, Manga Entertainment was launched in London in 1991 by Chris Blackwell and Andy Frain,[1] with significant contributions from Laurence Guinness.[2] It operated as a subsidiary under Island Records' Island World Group.[3] Although IWC adopted the company registration number previously held by Golden Square Music, it maintained no direct affiliation with either IWC or Manga.[4]

In 1993, Manga Entertainment broadened its reach to North America by acquiring L.A. Hero and establishing Manga U.S. Around the same time, Manga UK entered the Australian market towards the end of 1993, distributing titles starting January 1994 through PolyGram Video and local partner Siren Entertainment.[5][6]

On May 13, 2004, IDT Entertainment, a subsidiary of IDT Corporation, acquired Manga U.S., bringing it under their corporate umbrella.[7] By 2005, Manga UK and Manga U.S. operated independently while still sharing common ownership.[3] Liberty Media took ownership of IDT Entertainment in 2006 and subsequently rebranded it as Starz Media.[8]

Following the release of Redline, Manga U.S. ceased acquiring new licenses in 2011 and was fully merged into Starz Media. On August 8, 2012, Liberty Media revealed intentions to spin off Starz Media into an independent publicly traded entity.[9] This separation was finalized on January 15, 2013, encompassing all associated subsidiaries.[10]

2015–present

On February 26, 2015, the UK division was purchased from Starz Media by managing director Colin Lomax, along with its parent company Anchor Bay UK. Following the acquisition, Anchor Bay UK was rebranded as Platform Entertainment and secured exclusive rights to the Manga Entertainment brand and its catalog within the UK and Ireland.

In June 2016, Lionsgate revealed its $4.4 billion deal to acquire Starz Inc., which was finalized in December 2016, integrating Manga U.S. into Lionsgate Home Entertainment. That same month, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution acquired Platform Entertainment and spun off Manga UK as an independent entity. Subsequent to Platform discontinuing the distribution of Manga titles, Spirit Entertainment assumed responsibility for releasing these titles in the UK.

Lionsgate Home Entertainment revitalized Manga U.S.' website and social media presence in 2017, announcing intentions for a comprehensive brand relaunch. The Manga Entertainment brand is licensed by Lionsgate from Crunchyroll UK and Ireland. Colin Lomax, the CEO, passed away sometime between late 2017 and early 2018. As of September 2023, the relaunch has yet to take place; however, certain titles such as Ghost in the Shell have been reissued under the Lionsgate label.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ann
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0
  6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ↑ "New York Deadline" Liberty Media Says It Will Spin Off Starz deadline.com
  10. ↑ "Yahoo Finance" Liberty Media Spins-off Starz finance.yahoo.com
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