Cinedigm Launches CONtv Anime, AVOD Network Streams Japanese Anime Films and TV Series
Cinedigm is capitalizing on anime’s popularity.
Today, it launched CONtv Anime, a 24/7 AVOD network that streams Japanese anime films and TV series. It’s available on various platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, iOS Android and Vizio, as well as smart TV brands.
“Bubblegum Crisis,” “Vampire Princess Miyu” and “AD Police” are among its popular titles.
The new streamer expands the flagship CONtv, which claims to be one of the largest digital comics destinations, housing more than 10,000 titles, such as “Star Trek” and “Judge Dredd.”
To bolster its strength, Cinedigm will also rebrand Viewster, the AVOD it acquired in 2019, into CONtv Anime in the next few weeks. That move provides additional visibility from connected TV and devices, including Philips, TCL, Vizio, LG, Sharp, Magnavox, Sony, Hisense and Vestel. The company estimates CONtv Anime will now reach 295 million devices globally.
Cinedigm has a library of more than 30,000 films and episodes, spanning genres from docs to adventure fantasy.
According to the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, the global market for Anime is more than $19 billion annually, said Erick Opeka, president of Cinedigm Networks. “Our goal is to provide consumers an amazing, fan-curated channel, 100% for free, deeply embedded into their favorite devices around the globe.”
Cinedigm manages various digital-first networks under its Digital Networks Group banner, including the martial-arts channel, Combat GO, the documentary network, Docurama, the family-friendly channels Dove and Dove Kids, the female-focused millennial network Gatherer and the Asian pop-culture channel, Hallypop.
Also on the anime front, HBO Max debuted with 21 Japanese animated titles from the Studio Ghibli. Founded in 1984 by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, its library is acclaimed by critics and beloved by fans.
The more-established Crunchyroll reports 60 million users worldwide and 2 million paid subscribers. The anime brand announced eight new series in late February that span the adventure-fantasy-historical fiction genres.
Crunchyroll debuted in 2006 as an online streamer for American anime and manga fans. It is a subsidiary of Warner Media, the parent of Otter Media, which invested heavily in the company in 2015.