Saban Brands Acquires Digimon
Saban Brands Acquires Digimon Brand; Will Debut New Digimon Fusion Season at MIPCOM
MarVista Entertainment to Manage International Distribution Beyond Asia
LOS ANGELES, CA (Sept. 25, 2012) – Saban Brands has acquired the Digimon franchise, adding the long-running Japanese anime property to its growing portfolio of entertainment assets. The acquisition, which encompasses rights to the property outside of Asia, continues Saban Brands' dramatic growth since reacquiring the Power Rangers property and purchasing lifestyle brand Paul Frank in 2010, amongst others. Saban Brands will work with MarVista Entertainment for distribution of the series outside of Asia. Japanese animation studio, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. will handle licensing and distribution of the property in Asia.
The Digimon franchise, which was first brought to the U.S. in 1999 by Saban's Fox Family Worldwide, explores a digital world where powerful creatures known as Digimon, or digital monsters, battle for supremacy. With the help of their young human partners, the Digimon defend their world and ours from various evil forces.
"We're thrilled to reconnect Saban Brands with Digimon, an entertainment franchise that embodies the strong fan base and growth potential we look for in new additions to our portfolio," said Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands. "We look forward to reintroducing the brand in new and exciting ways that will allow more fans to engage with Digimon."
Saban Brands will debut the newest season, Digimon Fusion, at MIPCOM, which will be held Oct. 8-11 in Cannes, France. MarVista Entertainment has been appointed to handle international distribution (outside of Asia) of the new season, as well as distribution for more than 250 half-hours episodes of Digimon content from the library.
"We are naturally excited to further extend our relationship with Saban Brands to represent the Digimon franchise and to present the latest iteration, Digimon Fusion, to international buyers at MIPCOM," commented Fernando Szew, Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of MarVista Entertainment. "Children worldwide have embraced the Digimon television series since its launch, providing strong ratings success for broadcasters around the globe, and we anticipate a lot of enthusiasm from current and new partners who will undoubtedly want to play a key role in the continued growth of the Digimon franchise."
About Saban Brands
Formed in 2010 as an affiliate of Saban Capital Group, Saban Brands (SB) was established to acquire and develop a world-class portfolio of properties and capitalize on the company's experience, track record and capabilities in growing and monetizing consumer brands through content, media and marketing. SB applies a strategic transmedia management approach to enhancing and extending its brands in markets worldwide and to consumers of all ages. The company provides full-service management, marketing, promotion and strategic business development for its intellectual properties including comprehensive strategies unique to each brand, trademark and copyright management and enforcement, creative design, retail development, direct-to-consumer initiatives and specialized property extensions. SB is led by a superior management team with decades of experience in media, content creation, branding, licensing, marketing and finance. For more information, visit http://www.sabanbrands.com.
About MarVista Entertainment
Founded in September 2003, MarVista Entertainment is a leading Los Angeles-based producer and worldwide distributor of films and television programming with a content library now featuring more than 2,000 hours of programming. The company has grown to become a pre-eminent supplier of programming to major cable networks in the U.S., including Disney Channel, Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, NBC Universal, and MTV Networks, as well as key international broadcasters, generating extensive global terrestrial and pay television viewership. In the children's media arena, MarVista serves as the exclusive international distributor for Saban Brands' top rated action adventure franchise, Power Rangers, including the new seasons of Power Rangers Megaforce and Power Rangers Super Samurai, plus the classic library with over 700 episodes. Additionally, MarVista was recently named the international distributor for Saban Brands new animated preschool series, Julius Jr. In 2010, MarVista formed a partnership with Argentina's SNAP TV for original productions and distribution in the Latin America region. In 2011, the Company secured new investment capital from a private investment group led by Brian Sheth. http://www.marvista.net
About Toei Animation Co., Ltd.
With headquarters in Tokyo and sales offices in Paris, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Toei Animation (Jasdaq: 4816) ranks amongst the world's most prolific animation production studios. Toei Animation's operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. Since the company's founding in 1956, Toei Animation has produced more than 10,000 episodes of TV series (more than 200 titles) and more than 200 long feature films.