VIZ Media Inks Digital Download Deal for Anime Series

SAN FRANCISCO, May 4: VIZ Media
has secured a deal to make its anime series Death Note available for digital download-to-own via
Direct2Drive, IGN Entertainment’s digital retail store, starting from May 10.

The subtitled version of the series
will be available for download-to-own at www.direct2drive.com. The deal with
IGN Entertainment marks the first time that a well-known anime property will be
made available legally to U.S. audiences for download while the title still
airs on Japanese television. VIZ Media had secured the North American
rights to Death Note from Nippon Television Network (NTV).

Death Note, based on the Japanese Shueisha manga series of the same
name, features a student named Light Yagami who stumbles upon the Death
Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name
is included in the notebook dies. Light vows to use the power of the Death Note
to rid the world of evil. However, as more criminals begin to die, authorities
become suspicious and send the legendary detective L to investigate. The
detective is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must now re-evaluate his once
noble goal.

“The technology for delivering digital content quickly,
securely and with the highest possible quality has come of age and we see DTO
as an important extension of our video business,” said Daniel Marks, the SVP of
strategy and business development at VIZ Media. “Death Note is a smash in Japan and we very much appreciate NTV
providing us with the opportunity to make episodes available so soon after
broadcast in Japan. We see this as an important first step in getting our
content to fans where, when and how they want it."