ADV and Geneon Announce Strategic Alliance
Today ADV Films and Geneon Entertainment (USA) announced a new distribution agreement. From October 1st on, ADV Films will be Geneon Entertainment USA’s sole distributor. ADV Films will handle all sales and distribution duties for the combined catalogue as well as certain marketing functions.
Geneon Entertainment (USA) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based advertising giant Dentsu, Inc. Geneon is a pioneer of anime in America, having helped to launch Pokemon, Appleseed, and Akira on home video. More recent hits include some of the best-selling franchises in anime today, including Hellsing, Ergo Proxy, and the new hit series Black Lagoon.
‘This is a great alliance.’ said Geneon President and CEO Eiji Orii. ‘The efficiencies we’ll achieve ultimately will mean more anime for the fans to enjoy.’
ADV co-founder and President John Ledford concurred. ‘This alliance makes both companies stronger. Anime as an entertainment category is in competition with every other form of entertainment, and our partnership with Geneon gives us the scale to help widen the anime market in North America.’
Ledford continued, ‘As we look ahead to an increasingly digital future, scale matters. In bringing anime to new media platforms, ADV Films and Geneon can only benefit from the added clout this alliance brings.’
For consumers and retailers, this transition should be seamless. Geneon’s publishing plans will continue unabated, as ADV Films works with distribution partners to make the transition a smooth one.