AMC Acquires Anime Distributor Sentai

AMC Networks announced Wednesday (Jan. 5) it has acquired anime distributor Sentai and its Hidive streaming service, giving the entertainment platform another targeted streaming service along with Shudder, IFC and SundanceTV, according to a press release.

The deal also included Sentai Studios, the Anime Network and its full catalog of anime titles, ranging from K-On! from Kyoto Animation to Haikyu!! from Production IG.

Last year, Sony finalized a $1.175 billion deal to acquire Crunchyroll from AT&T and launched plans to develop a unified anime subscription service with content from both Funimation, which Sony has owned since 2017, and Crunchyroll, a Yahoo! report says.

Related: Netflix Working On Live-Action Pokemon Series, Report Says

In July, Netflix began its development of a new Pokemon TV show, according to Variety. Joe Henderson, co-showrunner on the hit Netflix show “Lucifer,” is set to write and executive produce the show. There were no details about the story for the show at the time of the report.

It might be a live-action series in the vein of feature film “Detective Pikachu” from 2019, which starred Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith.

Netflix has hosted multiple Pokemon shows, including “Pokemon: Indigo League” and “Pokemon Journeys” along with others. The streaming service has increased its focus on anime recently, including original series based on franchises like “Far Cry,” “Splinter Cell” and “Terminator.”

Also read: Holding Back the Wave of Subscription Cancellations

Consumers now have more subscriptions than ever, but the subscription sector is bracing for a slowdown in signups and an uptick in cancellations, according to PYMNTS research.

More than four out of five (84%) U.S. consumers want their entertainment indoors and online during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Subscription Commerce Tracker®, a PYMNTS and Vindicia collaboration.

Free ad-supported streaming services attracted almost two-thirds (65%) of consumers as an alternative to paid subscriptions, while almost half (47%) of millennials and one-third (34%) of Generation Z streaming subscribers also paused their subscriptions until new shows or seasons were added.