iaTV in Deal with TOKYOPOP for Programming, Sales

NEW YORK, August 19: iaTV,
a U.S.-based network dedicated to Asian pop culture, has secured a program
acquisition deal and strategic ad sales partnership with manga entertainment
distributor TOKYOPOP.

The agreement sees iaTV’s
ad sales team represent TOKYOPOP’s digital assets, including TOKYOPOP.com,
brand integration within original and user-generated video content, mobile
advertising and other applications.

Programming acquired by
iaTV under the deal includes two Japanese anime series, Initial D and Psychic Academy, and an anime film, Spring and Chaos. Initial D will launch on September 1, airing Monday through Friday. Psychic
Academy joins iaTV’s A-Pop lineup on September 9.

Several short-form
“iManga” series will also be added to iaTV’s lineup. These three- to
four-minute programs are based on TOKYOPOP’s top manga titles, which combine
animation with still art, music and English voiceovers. iaTV has also acquired FMW
Wrestling, which will launch on
September 12, airing Fridays at 10 p.m. behind Pancrase: Legends of Mixed
Martial Arts.

“We are thrilled to be in
business with TOKYOPOP, as it further establishes iaTV as the television leader
for Asian pop culture,” said Adam Ware, the president of iaMedia, the
television, radio and digital media unit of ImaginAsian Entertainment.
“TOKYOPOP’s digital assets—including their unique library of manga
animated series—represent a unique opportunity for iaTV to offer
advertisers a fully integrated cross-platform solution to reach the millions of
Asian pop-culture fans in the U.S.”

Ware continued, “I am
particularly excited about bringing a new form of animation to television in
the form of TOKYOPOP’s short-form manga series. Every time I walk into a book
store, many of TOKYOPOP’s titles are featured in the front and now we will have
the opportunity to feature them on iaTV in prime time. In addition, we are
pleased to be broadcasting one of the original hardcore brands of pro-wrestling
and sports entertainment to American television. FMW will air Friday nights at 10 p.m., offering WWE
fans the opportunity to tune to iaTV after they finish watching SMACKDOWN on MyNetwork TV earlier that night. Pro-wrestling
continually ranks as one of the top-rated programs on cable network
television.”

Added Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP’s
CEO and CCO, “TOKYOPOP has always been committed to bridging the cultures
between East and West, and we are excited to enter into a deal with a partner
dedicated to the same goals, iaTV. The manga lifestyle is about expressing
yourself, whether that be as an extreme pro-wrestling fan, a shojo manga fan,
action manga or fantasy manga fan. As TOKYOPOP brings manga to both the small
and big screens, iaTV viewers will be there to witness all the fun!”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski