Funimation Acquires UK-Ireland Anime Distributor Manga Entertainment

Animie company Funimation said Wednesday it has acquired Manga Entertainment Ltd, the leading distributor of anime in the UK and Ireland.

The deal between the companies, which already had a long-term partnership, will make London-based Manga a Funimation subsidiary, and the largest distributor of anime Blu-rays/DVDs in the territory. Most Manga titles including Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Naruto Shippuden, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and Sword Art Online will eventually become available on streaming for the first time in the region via FunimationNow.

“With this acquisition, we will create a truly immersive anime experience for fans in the UK and Ireland,” said Mitchel Berger, VP Sales and Distribution for Funimation. “This begins with providing fans access to Manga’s library of titles to enjoy whenever and wherever they want on FunimationNow. 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.”

It’s the latest deal in the expansion of Funimation, the Sony Pictures TV subsidiary now in its 25th year. It has a catalog of more than 600 titles encompassing over 10,000 hours of subtitled and dubbed entertainment already serving the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In November, FunimationNow became the first SPT service to launch on Amazon’s Prime Video in the UK.

Manga, whose franchises include Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece and Death Note, broke £1 million at the UK box office earlier this year with Dragon Ball Super: Broly, distributed by Funimation Films.