Crunchyroll founder and former CEO Kun Gao’s anime-focused media company Nakama launched new platform AniBiz.com Thursday. The offering is described as “the first dedicated B2B marketplace built specifically for the global anime industry.”
Led by Nakama co-founder and president Gao, co-founder and CEO Brady McCollum and co-founder and Sae Whan Song, AniBiz.com is designed to streamline the anime licensing process in a “centralized, secure environment.”
At launch, AniBiz.com has struck deals to support the following anime licensors on the platform: ADK Emotions Inc., Aniplex of America Inc., Avex Pictures Inc., CyberAgent Inc., Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Dentsu Anime Solutions Inc., Fuji Creative Corporation, FURYU Pictures Corporation, Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures Inc., Imagica Infos Co.,Ltd., Mainichi Broadcasting System, Pony Canyon Inc., TAKARATOMY, Toei Animation Inc., TOHO Global Inc., Tokyo Broadcasting System, TV Asahi Corporation, TV TOKYO Corporation, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and YTE, among others.
The launch comes as the global anime market is estimated to exceed $35 billion this year and as the interest in anime IP rises beyond what the traditional, largely fragmented global licensing system can support. AniBiz.com says it “addresses these challenges by offering a digital-first solution that respects the unique structure of Japanese anime licensing, the ecosystem of rights holders, distributors, merchandisers, and retailers, while providing new global buyers with an official verified path to acquire and collaborate on anime IP.”
