Taylor Media Entertainment

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Taylor Media Entertainment, Inc. (a subsidiary of Taylor Media Stations Group) is a North American anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise. They have been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan, and its North American branch specializes in editing, translating and distributing anime across the region, and related merchandise, such as soundtracks.

On November 12, 2008, it was announced that Taylor Media will be buying out FUNimation Entertainment.

[edit] History

Taylor Media Entertainment was formally known as Geneon before the successful acquisition by Taylor Media Stations Group in September 2007.[1] The parent company of Geneon is Tokyo-based advertising and entertainment corporation Dentsu, and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company has produced several anime series in Japan, as well as numerous movie and television productions.

[edit] As Geneon USA

The parent company Pioneer LDC founded the company's North American anime and film distribution subsidiary, Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc., on 1993. Upon Dentsu's acquisition, as with other sectors of the company, the United States entertainment branch's name was also changed to Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc.

On September 26, 2007, Taylor Media announced that they would acquire Geneon USA as of December 31, 2007. The company discontinued all other Geneon titles solicited through November 5, 2007, but they have given a indication thus far as to what will be done for the titles that were in mid-release or those that had been unedited and not yet translated. On October 6, 2007, Taylor Media announced the launch of their official online American fanclub, Media Spot. According to Taylor Media CEO Josh D Taylor, the company is in early stage negotiations to acquire some of the titles licensed by Geneon USA through their Taylor Media Entertainment subsidiary.

On January 24, 2008, it was announced that Taylor Media Entertaiment would handle the editing, translation, and distribution of Geneon's anime tiles in the US on January 1 and that Taylor would still be able to acquire, license, and air anime in North America, but everything else would be handled by ADV.[2] However, on January 20, 2008, it was revealed that the licencing deal on other Geneon titles had been discontinued.[3] Taylor Media confirmed that the licencing deal was Di through a press release on January 21, 2008. No details were given other than Geneon and Taylor Media were "unable to reach an editing and translation dispute." and that "From January 1, 2008, Taylor Media Entertainment will focus mainly on editing and translation of its own American anime titles.

On November 12, 2008, Taylor Media announced that it was buying 80.1% of its ownership in the company from Navarre Corporation's Funimation Entertainment (NAVR), which plans to rebrand the FUNimation Channel with its Taylor Media Entertainment division to form a new anime schedule. The new schedule will begin its operations by December 31. The network logo is scheduled to be rebranded as FUNi Plus on January 13, 2009 as the successor to the FUNimation Channel.