Funimation

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Funimation

logo
legal form Limited Liability Company
founding May 9, 1994
Seat Flower Mound ( USA )
management Colin Decker
Branch media
Website https://www.funimation.com

Funimation (Actually Funimation Productions ) is an American entertainment company based in Flower Mound ( Texas ). It specializes in translating and distributing foreign content, especially anime . Funimation is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television and is one of the leading distributors of anime and other overseas shows in North America . Funimation acquires anime licenses internationally and exploits them in theaters, on DVD / Blu-ray and the video-on-demand platforms FunimationNow, Wakanim and AnimeLab . The licenses are also sub-licensed to other VoD platforms.

history

Early history

Logo from 1994 to 2005

The company was founded by businessman Gen Fukunaga and his wife Cindy. Fukunaga's uncle Nagafumi Hori worked as a producer for the Toei Company . Hori suggested that Tōei Animation would license the rights to the franchise if Fukunaga started a production company and could raise enough money. Fukunaga met with his colleague Daniel Cocanougher, whose family owned a feed mill in Decatur , Texas . He convinced Cocanougher's family to sell their business and become an investor in his company. On May 9, 1994, the company was founded in Silicon Valley as Funimation Productions, and later moved to North Richland Hills .

Initially, they worked with other companies such as BLT Productions , Ocean Studios , Pioneer and Saban Entertainment on Dragon Ball . After two aborted attempts to make the Dragon Ball franchise available to a US audience via the initial syndication , he finally succeeded in 1998 in broadcasting the Dragon Ball Z series in the Toonami program block of Cartoon Network . Together with the British company Maverick, Funimation has been selling titles from the Canadian company Nelvana since 2003. These include titles like Savior of Redwall , Tales from the Crypt, and Timmy Goes to School .

Acquisition by Navarre Corporation

On 11 May 2005 Funimation was of the now defunct Navarre Corporation for 100.4 million US dollars in cash and acquired 1,800,000 shares of Navarre. As part of the acquisition, Gen Fukunaga was retained as head of the company and transferred to the position of CEO . The company's name was changed from Funimation Productions to Funimation Entertainment. Funimation and OlympuSAT launched the Funimation Channel in 2005 . In 2007, Funimation moved from North Richland Hills to Flower Mound . There the company had a ten-year lease in the Lakeside Business District.

In February 2008, Navarre CEO Cary Deacon announced that Funimation was negotiating a number of stocks from the former portfolio of the US division of Geneon. Geneom ceased operations in December 2007. In July 2008, Funimation confirmed the acquisition of a number of stocks from the Geneon portfolio. At Anime Expo 2008, Funimation announced that it had acquired over 30 titles from the Sojitz catalog that had previously been licensed by ADV Films . In 2009, Funimation signed a contract with Toei Animation to stream several of its anime titles online through the Funimation website and Hulu .

Independent company

Funimation logo from 2005 to 2016

In the first quarter of 2011, the Navarre Corporation classified Funimation as " discontinued operations ". On April 4, 2011, Navarra released a statement announcing that Funimation was sold for $ 24 million to a group of investors that included original owner Gen Fukunaga. It was also announced that Navarra would remain the exclusive distributor of Funimation's titles.

On October 14, 2011, Funimation and the English version of the Japanese streaming site Nico Nico Douga announced a permanent partnership for the licensing of animes in the streaming and home video area. The Funico label was founded for this purpose. From this point onwards, almost all simulcasts from the NicoNico portfolio were acquired by Funimation. The deal has since been canceled. In collaboration with Screenvision, Funimation brought the film Dragonball Z: Clash of the Gods to US cinemas in 2014 . Due to the success of the film, Funimation founded the film distributor Funimation Films in December 2017 .

On June 22, 2015, Funimation and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced a multi-year contract for the distribution of home videos. The agreement enables Universal Pictures to manage the distribution and sales of the Funimation portfolio. Universal began selling the portfolio in October 2018. Funimation and Crunchyroll announced a partnership on September 8, 2016. Select Funimation titles should be streamed with subtitles on Crunchyroll, while selected Crunchyroll titles should be streamed with dubbing on FunimationNow. Shout! Factory acquired the distribution rights for the film In this Corner of the World in May 2017 . Funimation Film brought the film, in cooperation with Shout! Factory , in US cinemas on August 11, 2017.

Funimation under Sony

In May 2017 it was reported that Universal Studios and Sony Pictures Television were interested in acquiring Funimation. However, Universal decided to withdraw from the bidding. On July 31, 2017, Sony Pictures Television announced that it will acquire a 95% controlling interest in Funimation for $ 143 million. The transaction was approved by the U.S. Department of Justice on August 22, 2017 . This deal enables Funimation to achieve synergies with Sony's Animax and Kids Station divisions and to have direct access to their portfolios. The deal was carried out on October 27, 2017.

On October 18, 2018, Funimation and Sony Pictures announced that their partnership with Crunchyroll would end on November 9, 2018. Various Funimation titles have been removed from the Crunchyroll program and various Crunchyroll titles have been removed from the Funimation program. Home video releases were not affected and continued. It was also announced that Funimation will be completely removed from the VRV streaming service operated by Otter Media and that it will be offered via Hidive Animes in the future . In December 2018, Funimation President Gen Fukunaga said that they would have been willing to extend the deal. With the old deal, Funimation was forbidden from offering its titles internationally on a large scale outside of Crunchyroll. Sony, on the other hand, wanted to expand internationally with Funimation and accordingly offer its portfolio on a large scale. Crunchyroll did not get involved, so the partnership was ended. On December 4, 2018, Funimation signed a multi-year video-on-demand contract with Hulu . With this contract, Funimation simulcasts are offered exclusively on the FunimationNow and Hulu platforms for a certain period of time.

On February 1, 2019, Gen Fukunaga announced that he would step down as president and join the company's board of directors, and Colin Decker took over the position of president in May 2019.

At AnimeJapan 2019, Funimation announced that it was working with the Chinese streaming service Bilibili to jointly license anime titles for the US and Chinese markets. Funimation announced the acquisition of Manga Entertainment UK on May 29, 2019 and immediately consolidated Funimation's UK business into Manga Entertainment. Sony Pictures Television and Aniplex announced on September 24, 2019 that they were combining their international anime streaming business in a new joint venture . Funimation CEO Colin Decker leads the joint venture. The joint venture is operated under the brand name Funimation and enables Funimation to acquire and distribute titles together with the Aniplex subsidiaries Wakanim and Madman Entertainment ( AnimeLab ). In January 2020 it was announced that Funimation will cease access to FunimationNow in Australia and New Zealand on March 30, 2020 and will only stream in these countries via AnimeLab. FunimationNow titles have already been transferred to AnimeLab.

Funimation Channel

Infobox radio tower icon
Funimation Channel
Station logo
TV station ( private law )
Program type Division program
reception Digital cable television
Image resolution ( Entry missing )
business September 29, 2005 to December 31, 2015
language English
owner Funimation Entertainment
OlympuSAT
List of TV channels

Funimation Channel was launched on September 29, 2005 and was a cable channel for anime. It was operated by Funimation Entertainment and OlympuSAT.

When the channel was first launched, it was available to some cities via digital UHF signals. Service was temporary as the broadcaster tried to break into the already crowded digital cable landscape. Another short-term service was the syndication of a funimation channel block for the OlympuSAT network Colors TV . The block was later discontinued in favor of a more successful expansion on subscription television. On May 1, 2008, Funimation Channel became a 24/7 English dubbed anime subscription network, the second of its kind in North America. The station started its HD feed on September 27, 2010. On December 31, 2015, Funimation and OlympuSAT terminated their contract and no longer broadcast Funimation titles on the station. The station was renamed Toku . Funimation planned a restart of the Funimation Channel for 2016.

Alternative distribution

On September 19, 2006, Funimation set up an official channel on YouTube , on which ads for box sets as well as clips and preview episodes of their licensed series are uploaded. In July 2008, Funimation and Red Planet Media announced the launch of a mobile video-on-demand service for AT&T Mobility and Sprint mobile phone subscribers. Three titles were part of the launch, Gunslinger Girl , Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase and The Galaxy Railways , with entire seasons available for each. In September 2008, they began to broadcast full episodes of the series on Hulu. In December of that year, Funimation added a video section to their main website with preview episodes of various series. In April 2009 they started selling complete series at Veoh . Full episodes are also available on the YouTube channel as well as on Netflix , PlayStation Network (PSN) and the Xbox Live marketplace.

Litigation

Anti-piracy

In 2005, Funimation's legal department took a more aggressive approach to protecting the company's licensed titles. She began to send warnings to operators of websites that offer links to fansubs of their titles. Funimation's legal department has sent out warning letters for several series, including Tsubasa - Reservoir Chronicle , Black Cat and Solty Rei . Funimation revealed additional licenses on October 6, 2006 when it sent letters to torrent sites requesting that it stop distributing HOLiC , Mushishi , Ragnarok the Animation, and other series. The company has routinely submitted DMCA deactivation notices since October 2009 to prevent the unauthorized distribution of the titles from the Funimation portfolio and to have them removed from Google search results.

In January 2011, Funimation filed a lawsuit against BitTorrent users in the USA for downloading One Piece via the file-sharing platform. Funimation dropped the lawsuit in March 2011 after a North Texas judge suggested that the court would appoint lawyers for the defendants. The judge took the view that the defendants acted independently of each other and therefore could not be charged as a group. Each would have to be charged individually.

Disputes with partners

Funimation sued AD Vision , AEsir Holdings, Section23 Films, Valkyrie Media Partners, Seraphim Studios, Sentai Filmworks and its CEO John Ledford and Switchblade Pictures for breach of contract and other issues in November 2011 . According to Funimation, the transfer of assets by ADV was made with the intent to defer, obstruct, or defraud ADV Films' creditors . Funimation sought the sale of assets by ADV as void. The lawsuit was settled in mediation in 2014 . The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Kojicast lawsuit

On April 24, 2019, Kojicast filed a lawsuit against Funimation alleging that the company's FunimationNow streaming service was in violation of Kojicast's patent.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ICV2: INTERVIEW WITH GEN Fukunaga, PART 1. In: icv2.com. October 20, 2004, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  2. ↑ lheiskell: Animerica Magazine - Streamline Pictures, SoftCel Ads - 3 x 3 Eyes Cover October 1995. In: Anime Nostalgia Bomb. March 13, 2012, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Ryan Ball: Nelvana Home Entertainment Launched. In: animationmagazine.net. September 25, 2003, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Jim Gilbertson: Navarre Corporation Acquires Funimation, and Provides Financial Update and Guidance. (No longer available online.) Navarre Corporation, May 11, 2005, archived from the original on June 10, 2012 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  5. ↑ ICv2: NAVARRE COMPLETES FUNIMATION ACQUISITION. In: ICv2.com. May 11, 2005, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b Rick DeMott: New FUNimation Channel Offers 24-hour Digital Anime Network . September 29, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ David Wethe: Funimation moving headquarters to Flower Mound. (No longer available online.) In: Fort-Worth Star Telegram. June 7, 2007, archived from the original on February 8, 2009 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  8. ^ Holli L. Estridge: FUNimation Entertainment scripts HQ move. (pdf) (No longer available online.) Dallas Buisness Journal, July 8, 2007, archived from the original on February 19, 2009 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  9. ↑ ICV2: Navare / Funimation interested in some Geneon titles. In: icv2.com. February 7, 2008, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  10. ^ FUNimation Entertainment: FUNimation Entertainment and Geneon Entertainment Sign Exclusive Distribution Agreement for North America. (No longer available online.) In: funimation.com. FUNimation Entertainment, July 3, 2008, archived from the original on July 7, 2008 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Egan Loo: Funimation Picks Up Over 30 Former AD Vision Titles. In: Anime News Network . July 4, 2008, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Egan Loo: Funimation Adds Toei's Air Master, Captain Harlock. In: Anime News Network. April 3, 2009, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Commission File Number 0-22982. In: SEC.gov. United States Securities and Exchange Commission, March 31, 2011, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  14. ↑ TradersHuddle Staff: Navarre Corporation Announces Sale of FUNimation Entertainment. (No longer available online.) In: tradershuddle.com. April 4, 2011, archived from the original on April 7, 2011 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Egan Loo: Funimation, Niconico to Jointly License Anime. In: Anime News Network . October 14, 2011, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2014) - Box Office Mojo. In: boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019 .
  17. ^ Funimation Films: Funimation Films - About Us. In: Funimation Films. Retrieved October 5, 2019 .
  18. ^ FUNimation And Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Enter Into Multi-Year Distribution Agreement. In: prnewswire.com. June 23, 2015, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  19. ↑ FUNimation Reveals (First?) October 2015 Anime Releases. In: fandompost.com. July 17, 2015, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Crystalyn Hodgkins: Crunchyroll, Funimation Announce Partnership to Share Content Via Streaming, Home Video, Est. In: Anime News Network . September 8, 2016, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Dave McNary: Japanese Animated Film 'In This Corner of the World' Scheduled for August Release. In: variety.com. May 18, 2017, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Anousha Sakoui: Universal and Sony Are Eyeing 'Dragon Ball' Importer Funimation. In: bloomberg.com. May 4, 2017, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  23. ↑ John Eggerton: Feds OK Sony purchase of Funimation. In: multichannel.com. March 29, 2018, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Denise Petski: Sony Pictures TV Networks To Acquire Majority Stake in Funimation. In: deadline.com. July 31, 2017, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  25. ^ Scott Green: Funimation Agrees To Be Acquired By Sony Pictures Television Networks. In: Crunchyroll . October 28, 2017, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  26. ↑ Haris Odobasic: Crunchyroll and Funimation end partnership. In: anime2you. October 18, 2018, accessed October 4, 2019 .
  27. ↑ Todd Spangler: Sony's Funimation Ends Anime Licensing Pact With Crunchyroll. In: variety.com. October 18, 2018, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  28. ^ Dan Sarto: Crunchyroll and VRV End Funimation Deal, Add HIDIVE Channel. In: awn.com. Animation World Network, October 18, 2018, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  29. ↑ Haris Odobasic: Funimation President comments on the broken Crunchyroll partnership. In: anime2you. December 16, 2018, accessed October 4, 2019 .
  30. ↑ Todd Spangler: Hulu Lands Funimation First-Look Deal for Japanese Anime Series (EXCLUSIVE). In: variety.com. December 4, 2018, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  31. ↑ Todd Spangler: Funimation Founder Gen Fukunaga Moves Into Chairman Role, Sony Seeks New GM for Anime Service (EXCLUSIVE). In: variety.com. February 1, 2019, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  32. ↑ Todd Spangler: Sony's Funimation Taps Ex-Crunchyroll Exec Colin Decker as GM (EXCLUSIVE). In: variety.com. May 6, 2019, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  33. ^ Rafael Antonio Pineda: Funimation, bilibili Establish Partnership for Joint Anime Licensing. In: Anime News Network . March 29, 2019, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  34. ^ Marshall Wright: Funimation acquires UK anime distributor Manga Entertainment Limited. (No longer available online.) In: funimation.com. Funimation, May 29, 2019, archived from the original on May 29, 2019 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  35. ↑ Todd Spangler: Sony Merges Anime Streaming Businesses Under Funimation-Led Joint Venture (EXCLUSIVE). In: variety.com. September 24, 2019, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  36. ↑ Endymion: FunimationNow streaming service is discontinued in Australia and New Zealand. In: Anime Sushi. January 25, 2020, accessed January 25, 2020 .
  37. ^ Navarre's FUNimation Entertainment Announces the Launch of the FUNimation Channel in Seattle. (No longer available online.) In: mania.com. December 21, 2006, archived from the original on January 23, 2015 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  38. ^ FUNimation Reveals Plans For New Cable Channel. In: prnewswire.com. December 14, 2015, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  39. ^ Chris Beveridge: Funimation Channel changing its name. In: fandompost.com. December 8, 2015, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  40. ↑ Rafael Antonio Pineda: Funimation Channel to relaunch in 2016. In: Anime News Network . December 15, 2015, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  41. ↑ Full Seasons of the Best Anime from FUNimation Channel Launch on JumpInMobile.TV - The New Mobile Video-on-Demand Service from Red Planet Media. In: Anime News Network. July 9, 2008, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  42. ↑ Egan Loo: Hulu.com Launches Channel for Free, Legal Anime Streams (Update 2). In: Anime News Network. September 23, 2008, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  43. ^ Rojas: Legal Anime Watching on Veoh.com. Funimation Entertainment, April 1, 2009; archived from the original on April 4, 2009 ; accessed on October 5, 2019 .
  44. ↑ Justin Sevakis: Funimation Publishes on XBOX. In: Anime News Network . February 6, 2012, accessed October 5, 2019 .
  45. ↑ Christopher Macdonald: Funimation Enforces Intellectual Property Rights. In: Anime News Network. December 7, 2005, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  46. ↑ Christopher Macdonald: Funimation Sends out Cease & Desist Letters For Multiple Anime. In: Anime News Network. October 6, 2006, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  47. ↑ Gia Manry: Interview: Evan Stone. In: Anime News Network. May 9, 2011, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  48. ^ Corynne McSherry: Don't Mess With Texas: Another Texas Judge Scrutinizes Mass Copyright Litigation. In: eff.org. February 15, 2011, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  49. ↑ Gia Manry: Funimation Dismisses Its One Piece BitTorrent Lawsuit. In: Anime News Network. March 24, 2011, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  50. ↑ Crystalyn Hodgkins: Funimation Sues AD Vision, Sentai, Others for US $ 8 million. In: Anime News Network . January 13, 2012, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  51. ↑ Lynzee Loveridge: Funimation v. ADV Lawsuit Settled, Dismissed. In: Anime News Network. May 28, 2014, accessed October 12, 2019 .
  52. ↑ Rafael Antonio Pineda: Kojicast Sues Funimation Over Alleged Patent Infringment for Media Casting. In: Anime News Network . May 26, 2019, accessed October 12, 2019 .