News
TV Asahi Acquires Shin-chan, Doraemon's Shin-ei
posted on by Egan Loo
The Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi has acquired Shin-ei Animation, the anime studio famous for Crayon Shin-chan and Doraemon, as a subsidiary. Not coincidentally, TV Asahi airs the Shin-ei productions of Crayon Shin-chan, Doraemon, Atashi'n chi, and annual Sensō Dōwa (wartime fable) specials. TV Asahi has increased its stake in Shin-ei from 14.6% to the current 90%. TV Asahi put up 2.995 billion yen (about US$28.5 million) in capital for the acquisition. In the fiscal year that ended last June, the studio reported 4 billion yen (US$38 million) in revenues and 573 million yen (US$5.46 million) in net profits.
Shin-ei is the latest in a string of anime studios that have been bought up by larger media interests. Asatsu-DK picked up Eiken in 2002, while Sega Sammy acquired TMS Entertainment and Takara Tomy added Tatsunoko Production in 2004. Sunrise has been a Bandai Group (now Namco Bandai Group) company since 1994.
Image © 1990 Usui Yoshito / © 1992-2008 Shin-Ei & TV Asahi
Source: animeanime.jp
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