Yu-Gi-Oh! International Expansion Continues as 4K Media Signs New Licensing Partners Sakami Merchandise and P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd./Prava i prevodi
NEW YORK – October 25, 2016 – 4K Media Inc., the Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. subsidiary that manages the licensing and marketing of the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand, continues to expand the property's licensed product lines through additional licensing partnerships with P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd./Prava i prevodi and Sakami Merchandise that will roll out new Yu-Gi-Oh! consumer products across Europe beginning in Q4 2016.
“Each new installment of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, either the television series or feature films, attracts another layer of licensing partners to the brand,” said Jennifer Coleman, Vice President of Licensing and Marketing, 4K Media. “The synergies between our broadcasting, licensing and retail partners continue to enliven and invigorate consumer demand, keeping Yu-Gi-Oh! top of mind for fans around the globe.”
P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd./Prava i prevodi will introduce stickers and promotional sticker albums in Q4 2016, based on artwork developed from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal series. The stickers and sticker albums will be available in Eastern European markets, including Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Macedonia.
“As Yu-Gi-Oh!'s broadcasting partner for Eastern Europe, it made perfect sense to leverage our publishing expertise in offering collectible Yu-Gi-Oh! stickers and sticker albums based on the characters that are appearing on our network,” explained Prava i prevodi's Nada Popovic.
The introduction of the stickers and sticker books will coincide with the broadcast launch of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, which debuts later this year in the same Eastern European countries and will be distributed to consumers through a popular children's magazine. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is currently airing in the market. The Yu-Gi-Oh! sticker album promotion will support awareness of the Yu-Gi-Oh! television series in the markets served by P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd.
Sakami Merchandise will release Yu-Gi-Oh! plush toys based on the characters appearing in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V series and be available in Q1 2017. Focusing on specialty retailers and hobby shops that sell manga, the Yu-Gi-Oh! plush toys will be designed to appeal to both younger boys and avid collector/gamers in many European countries.
Sakami Merchandise's Ronny Wolf states, “Sakami Merchandise is a new company specializing in the manufacturing of plush toys based on popular Japanese anime and manga, so of course Yu-Gi-Oh! was at the top of our must-have list. We're very excited to employ a two-tier approach to the distribution of the Yu-Gi-Oh! plush toys, offering a plush Yama Yugi from the first Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series for the older "collector" fan concurrent with the introduction of a plush Yuya Sakaki from the newer Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V series, which we expect to appeal to younger fans of the franchise.”
In addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, video games and feature films, the brand includes an animated franchise, with over 700 episodes spanning from the first series “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Duel Monsters, followed by “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal” and now the fifth and latest series “Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.” The feature film, Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions, recently opened in Japan and is due to launch globally outside of Asia in the first quarter of 2017.
About P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd./ Prava i prevodi
Formed in 1985, P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd. is a prominent company located in Limassol, Cyprus. Today, it is one of the world's leading and most diversified agencies, specializing in copyright protection and investments in countries of Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of a wide range of proprietors. Founded by Jovan Milenkovic, who has developed longstanding, personal relationships with owners and executives at publishing firms, the company's mission has always been securing legitimate deals for proprietors, with the focus on delivering timely payments. Dedicated to the long-term success of its proprietors, the company negotiates the best terms for every contract, and is an active partner in the publishing process and in the development of local television stations. The scope of services available is wide, supporting activities of various divisions within the group.
Prava i prevodi, as the affiliate office of Permissions & Rights Ltd., is responsible for the promotion and endorsement of television business of P. &R., the publicity for the programs available to local TV stations, as well as the translations and subtitling of the licensed programs. The scope of activity in television business is limited to the countries of former Yugoslavia.
P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd. is the co-owner of MAG Network, the group of local, non-commercial television stations, financed either by local councils, or private companies. It is also managing complete television programs aired on two leading children's cable channels: TV Ultra and TV Mini Ultra. In co-operation with RTV Pink, Permissions & Rights Ltd. has created five cable channels, and is responsible for their editorial content and broadcast.
Prava i prevodi owns one of the best-equipped studios in the region, specialized in the subtitling and translation of television programs, used by the majority of local television stations.
P. & R. Permissions & Rights Ltd. is also a major distributor of foreign television titles to television stations in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia, including programmes from: the BBC, ITV, France Television Distribution, All3media, DreamWorks, Lagardère, Newen, DCD Rights, DRG, Trust Nordisk, ZDF, ORF, DR, AB Svensk Filmindustri, to mention a few only.
About Andreas Ritter & Ronny Wolf GbR - Sakami Merchandise
Andreas Ritter & Ronny Wolf GbR - Sakami Merchandise specializes in video game and comic merchandise. The Sakami Merchandise team has over 10 years of experience in the video game and comic book market, with principal activities focusing on video games, manga and anime merchandised products. Attaching great importance to high quality and timeliness, the Sakami Merchandise team is dedicated to expanding fan bases through the development of products that fit the world's most popular video game and comic brands.
About 4K Media
New York City-based 4K Media Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.) is a brand management and production company best known for its management of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise outside of Asia. This year, the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime brand celebrates its 15th anniversary of entertaining and engaging young audiences in the United States and globally outside of Asia. 2017 marks its next exciting theatrical release, Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions. Beyond Yu-Gi-Oh!, 4K Media is also actively expanding both its licensing and production slate to incorporate other brands including the recently announced representation of Rebecca Bonbon. The Yu-Gi-Oh! website is available at www.yugioh.com
