Sentai Filmworks, Mainichi Broadcasting System Announce Streaming Partnership

Entertainment company AMC Networks (AMC) announced a partnership and distribution agreement between its subsidiary Sentai Filmworks (Sentai) and broadcasting company Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) on Thursday. The agreement grants AMC's HIDIVE streaming service exclusive rights to stream a portion of MBS' future programming lineup in all global markets outside of Asia. This marks Sentai's largest ever anime content deal.

Commemorating the partnership, the companies announced that Higeki no Genkyou to Naru Saikyou Gedou Last Boss Joou wa Tami no Tame ni Tsukushimasu. (The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior)—scheduled to premiere in Summer 2023—will be the first title HIDIVE will stream exclusively under the new agreement (pictured right). MBS' slate of titles that also fall under the deal include the Winter 2023 anime Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endou-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san (Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte).

AMC acquired Sentai Holdings, LLC—which incorporates Sentai Filmworks and HIDIVE—in January 2022. The acquisition includes all member interests from the public-private Japanese investment fund Cool Japan Fund, Inc.

"This is a truly historic agreement for HIDIVE and is the culmination of our partnership with MBS," said Sentai Filmworks and HIDIVE President John Ledford. "This output deal cements Sentai's position as one of the world's most established and leading suppliers of popular and high-quality anime content. But not only that, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: from Villainess to Savior and the other series will significantly elevate HIDIVE's reputation with fans as not only the new go-to anime streaming platform but also as the pipeline to some of Japan's most highly anticipated titles."

"MBS has been continuously producing and broadcasting animated TV series for over half a century," added Shinji Nakano, Director of Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. "In recent years, anime has become a solid representative of Japanese culture and has gained fans all over the world. We are pleased to partner with Sentai Filmworks, HIDIVE, and AMC Networks, a group that plays a huge part in this effort to further expand anime culture. We are accelerating our commitment to bringing anime to people around the world, without ever stopping our journey."

Source: Press Release