Viz Media joins with British firm to promote properties
Staff -- Kids Today, 10/1/2005
San Francisco— Viz Media, a manga and animation licensing and publishing company, has joined with a British licensing group to drive the growth of Japanese properties in Europe.
The U.S. company, based here, is partnering with Copyright Promotions Licensing Group of London to form Viz Media B.V. The goal is to generate business opportunities and revenue by coordinating all aspects of development through a property's life cycle. Viz Media and Copyright Promotions will each hold a 50% share in the venture, which was scheduled to officially open Oct. 3.
The partnership will have access to some of the most popular manga and animation properties owned by Viz Media's parent companies, Shueisha and Shogakukan, the largest publishing houses in Japan.
Viz Media B.V. will handle the rights associated with a property across all categories, including publishing, retail, broadcast, home entertainment, merchandising and promotions. The first titles it will offer include Deko Boko Friends, a preschool property, and Bleach, a manga property that appeals mainly to boys.
"The demand for Japanese entertainment content by European audiences is growing substantially, and we are pleased to partner with Copyright Promotions Licensing Group to bring exposure and mainstream acceptance of this genre to diverse demographic groups throughout Europe," said Daniel Marks, managing director of Viz Media B.V.
