Manga Entertainment

• 1. Founding And Early Expansion

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  London, 1991 marked the birth of Manga Entertainment. Chris Blackwell and Andy Frain established the company as a subsidiary of Island Records' Island World Group. Laurence Guinness played a key role in these early days. The entity began life under the name Island World Communications before adopting its famous moniker. It took over the company number previously held by Golden Square Music. This new venture had no connection to the original IWC or the later corporate entities bearing similar names. Growth came quickly across borders. North American expansion arrived in 1993 through the purchase of L.A. Hero. This acquisition formed the U.S. branch known as Manga U.S. The British division entered the Australian market in late 1993. They started releasing titles there in January 1994. These releases happened alongside PolyGram Video and local distributor Siren Entertainment.

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• 2. Corporate Ownership Transitions

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  the 13th of May 2004 brought a major shift for the American operation. IDT Entertainment announced plans to purchase Manga U.S. This move made the anime distributor a subsidiary of IDT Corporation. A year later, operations in the UK and US began functioning independently while sharing ownership. Liberty Media purchased IDT Entertainment in 2006. That entity was subsequently renamed Starz Media. The corporate structure continued to evolve with rapid frequency. In 2011, Manga U.S. stopped licensing new products following the release of Redline. The division was absorbed into Starz Media shortly after. Liberty Media announced on the 8th of August 2012 that it would spin off Starz Media into a separate publicly traded company. This spin-off process completed on the 15th of January 2013. All subsidiaries moved under this new Starz Inc. umbrella during that transition period.

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• 3. The UK Branch Evolution

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  the 26th of February 2015 marked a significant change for the British side of the business. Colin Lomax acquired the UK branch from Starz Media along with its parent Anchor Bay UK. The managing director oversaw the renaming of Anchor Bay UK to Platform Entertainment. This new entity secured exclusive rights to the Manga Entertainment branding within the UK and Ireland. Platform Entertainment eventually ceased distributing titles under the original name. Their catalog items were then released by Spirit Entertainment. Kaleidoscope Film Distribution purchased Platform Entertainment in June 2016. They confirmed plans to split Manga UK into a separately operated unit. The CEO Colin Lomax died between Christmas 2017 and New Years Day 2018. These changes reshaped how anime reached audiences in Britain over the next decade.

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• 4. United States Operations And Cessation

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  Manga U.S. halted all licensing activities after releasing Redline in 2011. The division was absorbed directly into Starz Media following that final release. Lionsgate announced an acquisition of Starz Inc. in June 2016. That deal completed in December 2016, placing the American operations under Lionsgate Home Entertainment. In the same month, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution bought Platform Entertainment. They decided to separate the UK branch from the rest of the group. Lionsgate Home Entertainment relaunched the U.S. website in 2017. Social media pages for Facebook and Twitter also received updates during this period. A full relaunch was promised but had not occurred as of September 2023. Some titles like Ghost in the Shell appeared under the main Lionsgate banner instead. Lionsgate currently holds the license for the Manga Entertainment brand name from Crunchyroll.

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• 5. Business Model And Product Scope

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  Despite its name, the company focused primarily on distributing anime rather than manga. They published some manga titles under a specific imprint called Manga Books. One notable example included the title Crying Freeman. This distinction between their core business and secondary publications defined their catalog strategy. The company operated across multiple territories including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, and Australia. Their distribution network spanned these regions through various partnerships and acquisitions. PolyGram Video supported their Australian expansion efforts in the early 1990s. Local independent distributors like Siren Entertainment facilitated regional releases. The structure allowed them to reach audiences far beyond their London headquarters while maintaining distinct operational branches for different markets.

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