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Answerman - Should FUNimation Be On NASDAQ?


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Brand



Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 1029
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:21 pm Reply with quote
Question is this "new" streaming service any different than their current streaming service? Or is it just a re-branding?
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:32 pm Reply with quote
"Anyone who's ever read a 2000-word forum post on how some company absolutely must spend at least $20 million dollars launching Akazukin Cha Cha in America can tell you how this might go. "

That's a joke, right?
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D00dleB0Y



Joined: 08 May 2015
Posts: 120
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:46 pm Reply with quote
Brand wrote:
Question is this "new" streaming service any different than their current streaming service? Or is it just a re-branding?


Same streaming service, just a rebrand. It was done in order to "appeal to a wider audience", acting as if the older model didn't work (it did).
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bigivel



Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 536
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:47 pm Reply with quote
Talking about that, Toei Animation has an IPO, since 2000. In their site we can see all their financial statements both in Japanese and English!

http://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/ir/materials/library.php
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bj_waters



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 234
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 3:00 pm Reply with quote
But how else am I supposed to get Funimation to dub the second half of Kodocha!? Crying or Very sad

Seriously, though, it makes sense. I simply assumed that anime/manga companies weren't big enough for NASDAQ to be a concern for them (like there was some kind of size or wealth requirement; shows what I know).
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CastMember1991



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 866
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 3:56 pm Reply with quote
I can see where Justin is going with this. Being a public company means you have to appeal to more than just otaku, you have to outfit your imported content to the masses too. That means (sadly) having to Americanize the piece of foreign content you're importing and aiming it at a younger audience much to the displeasure of Otaku everywhere. Just ask the folks at 4Kids Entertainment. They tried to cater One Piece to younger kids, and that did NOT work out well either financially or business-wise.
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PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2034
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 3:59 pm Reply with quote
4Kids used to be publicly traded. They were delisted in May of 2010, right before they went under and rebooted and re-launched their whole company.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5503
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 4:02 pm Reply with quote
I am with Justin on this. It seems like a terrible idea for any N.A. anime publisher to go public. Not only because share holders could create a nightmare situation, but don't companies need to be big enough for them to make business sense to enter the stock market?

I doubt Funimation is that big of a company. Facebook is a big company, but didn't they lose a ton of money when they went public?

Justin's answer also made think about something else. I used to be very interested in knowing how N.A. anime publisher were doing in terms of profits and loses. But like Justin says, publishers are better served if that information is kept away from the public.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 4:15 pm Reply with quote
D00dleB0Y wrote:


Same streaming service, just a rebrand. It was done in order to "appeal to a wider audience", acting as if the older model didn't work (it did).


That is what I thought, but the question had me wondering if maybe I missed something, even though I read quite a bit about it.




I can't imagine Funimation would have a lot to gain from going public. Like Justin said, there is a lot of reporting that has to go on, and that would also mean that competitors would be able to get an idea of Funimation's finances while keeping their own information private. Plus, Funimation is currently the top dog in a pretty small market, so an influx of investment might not even amount to much benefit in those conditions.
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Zalis116
Moderator


Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 6900
Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 4:31 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
When that happens, the shareholders that end up buying that stock have a (small) claim to part of that company's assets and profits.
It seems like a large claim to me, given that major companies spend 95% of their profits buying back their own stock.

And I don't see why the question-asker or anyone would want to see Funi's revenues be diverted that way instead of to worker salaries, license purchases, equipment upgrades, or just a general cushion against the shocks and storms of the business climate. There's a bigger risk we'll see product prices hiked to help meet arbitrary quarterly earnings goals, as well. Sure, Funi could go public and buck those trends, but that increases the odds that they'll be taken over by corporate raiders (who tend to make money whether the companies they take over succeed or fail in the long run) saying, "hey, this company isn't as profitable as it could be," and proceed to slash and burn everything in the name of increasing shareholder returns.
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Alan45
Village Elder



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 10018
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 5:02 pm Reply with quote
Brand wrote:
Question is this "new" streaming service any different than their current streaming service? Or is it just a re-branding?


I have subscribed to Funimation's streaming service for almost a year and a half now. I haven't noticed any significant change. In fact I wasn't aware that they were claiming a new service. The site is still a pain to navigate. They really make Crunchyroll look good. Better than Hulu though.
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getchman
He started it



Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 9134
Location: New Hampshire
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 5:13 pm Reply with quote
the overhaul is coming in May. its apparently huge, and, among other things, will make navigating the site much easier
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DerekL1963
Subscriber



Joined: 14 Jan 2015
Posts: 1121
Location: Puget Sound
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 5:39 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
"Anyone who's ever read a 2000-word forum post on how some company absolutely must spend at least $20 million dollars launching Akazukin Cha Cha in America can tell you how this might go. "

That's a joke, right?


Have you *seen* some of the fanboy rants that regularly appear on anime forums? I didn't take it as a joke, but as dire prediction of grim future.
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Wandering Samurai



Joined: 30 Mar 2014
Posts: 875
Location: USA
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 6:41 pm Reply with quote
angelmcazares wrote:
I doubt Funimation is that big of a company. Facebook is a big company, but didn't they lose a ton of money when they went public?

They did at first, but now their share prices are worth at almost three times what they initially opened at when they got their IPO. What was funny was the people who were considering lawsuits against Facebook when their shares went down to as low $17.55 a share when they had originally opened to $38 per share in Q2 of 2012. Now shares are as high as $112 per share. However Facebook's price to book is over a 1 ration, meaning their market capitalization is more than their enterprise value. Only a 0.01% chance of this but for example if Facebook were to go out of business or find themselves removed from the stock market, shareholders may not be able to get their money back because Facebook's money is tied in with the creditor's who always get first dibs on a company's assets if said company decides to go away.

It's all about timing in the market. I've purchased shares for X price but then they go down to Z price instead of going up to Y price. The trick is not to sell when the prices of shares go down. If you own stocks that are paying dividends then it doesn't matter how much your shares are worth because you're getting money from owning those stocks in the first place.
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AJ (LordNikon)



Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 515
Location: Kyoto
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 7:06 pm Reply with quote
Justin's reasons aside, I'd have to say hell no. While NASDAQ is likely a better fit than the S&P or NYSE, just because a company wants to issue an IPO, you have to be accepted by an exchange. Your ability to list or be delisted is at the discretion of the exchange (I had a blue list in my 401K get delisted off the NYSE because they went seven quaters in a loss).

Frankly, I'd rather not risk some American investor activist decide he wants to take a stand against perceived idol or seiyu abuse in the industry and try to reform change on his own.

I'm not against any change in the industry that would be best for those working in the industry, but feel those changes need to be addressed by the Japanese in Japan, not by some feel good lefty in America imposing his moral high grounds on the east.
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