FilmRise, the New York-based film and television studio and streaming network, has acquired the North American rights to a large swath of Japanese anime titles, headlined by more than 800 episodes of the “Yu- Gi-Oh!” franchise.
The deal with Konami Cross Media NY, part of Japan’s Konami Group, grants AVOD streaming rights for the FilmRise Streaming Network, including apps and free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise is based on the manga series that inspired a trading card game played with monsters, spells, and traps, several video games, and a television series.
“This iconic Japanese property will be featured alongside other beloved anime content, on our FilmRise Anime channel a growing new destination for North American anime fans,” said Max Einhorn, FilmRise’s SVP of acquisitions and co-production.
The video streaming package includes 808 episodes of the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” TV series in English, and 541 dubbed in Spanish. It includes “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (236 episodes x 30 min); “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX” (155 episodes x 30 min); “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D” (123 episodes x 30 min); “Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL” (146 episodes x 30 min); and “Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V” (148 episodes x 30 min).
Popular on Variety
FilmRise’s other recent anime deals include: one with Fuji Creative Corporation at Mip-TV, covering “Flame of Recca,” “Ghosts at School,” “GTO,” “Key: The Metal Idol,” “Thermal Romae,” and “Battery”; another with TMS (“Detective Conan,” “Lupin the Third”); with Nelvana (for “Beyblade” and “Bakugan”) and other with MVD and MediaBlasters.
Founded in 2012 by producers and financiers Danny Fisher, Jack Fisher and Alan Klingenstein, FilmRise offers over 50,000 licensed and originally produced, scripted and unscripted TV episodes and feature films. The company’s roster includes: Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” and “Kitchen Nightmares”; Carsey-Werner’s beloved sitcom “3rd Rock From the Sun”; true crime series “Unsolved Mysteries”; high-tech documentary crime series “Forensic Files”; and American classic TV series “The Rifleman,” “That Girl,” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
FilmRise original productions include true crime series “Bloodline Detectives Hosted by Nancy Grace,” “Meet, Marry Murder With Michelle Trachtenberg” and PBS documentary series “Icon: Music Through the Lens.”
