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AMC Networks Acquires Sentai Holdings, Sentai Filmworks, HIDIVE

AMC Networks announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Sentai Holdings, LLC, which includes Sentai Filmworks and the HIDIVE streaming service. The acquisition includes all of the member interests from Cool Japan Fund, Inc., a public-private Japanese investment fund.

AMC Networks interim CEO Matt Blank said: "This acquisition builds on AMC Networks' already strong IP and franchises, and furthers our targeted streaming strategy of super-serving passionate audiences with content depth, curation and community. With the addition of Sentai, we see an even greater opportunity to build on AMC Networks' position as the global leader in targeted streaming, as we continue to grow a sustainable and long-term profitable streaming business that will be transformational for our company."

Sentai Filmworks' founder John Ledford stated, "We are thrilled by AMC Networks' acquisition and are excited to be a part of their growth strategy. This acquisition will not change Sentai's mission to deliver the most exciting anime content to audiences around the world — it will expand it greatly and will give our content businesses more distribution, more partnerships, more scale and more reach. I could not be more pleased."

Sentai Filmworks' executive management team, including Ledford, Griffin Vance, and Paul Clinkscales, will continue at the company in senior roles.

Sentai Filmworks is a global supplier of anime and official merchandise. The company's brands include the HIDIVE streaming service, SentaiFilmworks.com, Anime Network cable video-on-demand, and Sentai Studios. Sentai Filmworks has licensed numerous anime, including Made in Abyss, Akame ga KILL!, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, and Parasyte -the maxim-.

Cool Japan Fund, the public-private company that the Japanese government employs to fund projects as part of its "Cool Japan" program and Sentai Filmworks CEO Ledford has invested in Sentai Holdings, LLC — the parent company of Sentai Filmworks, HIDIVE, and Anime Network.

Crunchyroll entered into a "home video and electronic sell-through distribution" partnership with Sentai Filmworks to distribute anime titles on home video, which "appear as a mix of subtitled and English-dubbed content."

AMC Networks' portfolio includes AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, and ALLBLK.

Source: Press release