Viz Media Owners Revamp Licensing Unit

By Kai-Ming Cha -- Publishers Weekly, 6/25/2008 10:32:00 AM

Shueisha and Shogakukan—the two Japanese publishers that own the American-based manga publisher Viz Media—have entered into a new partnership to expand the company’s licensing and mechandising arm. Shueisha has invested in Shogakukan Productions Inc. or Sho-Pro, Shogakukan’s licensing and merchandising unit, which will be renamed Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd. to reflect the new joint venture.

In an e-mail exchange from Japan, Viz Media CEO Hidemi Fukuhara explained that the new partnership will impact “the process for animation and merchandising. Viz Media will be able to take more control of the properties because Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions will provide the various rights in a unified form.”

Sho-Shu Productions will now handle properties related to manga from both Shogakukan and Shueisha and the deal will also provide flexibility in developing titles for the growing graphic novel/manga market in North America and Europe. In the past, Shogakukan Productions Inc. or Sho-Pro, was responsible for media and merchandising derived from Shogakukan manga and anime properties including a number of Pokemon movies.

Fukuhara also said that Sho-Shu Productions will be active in developing the digital distribution of anime and in the future, manga properties. The new company will also bring manga derived chapter books and picture books for the U.S. market. Asked about SSP’s interest in foreign markets, Fukuhara pointed noted that Japan’s $5 billion a year manga market has been flat in recent years. “ It’s a natural move to look to the foreign market after the domestic market matures,” Fukuhara said.