Crunchyroll Adds 12 ADV Films Properties

[lockmastah]

Just recieved this press release in my inbox...


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CRUNCHYROLL ADDS 12 ADV FILMS PROPERTIES

Online Media Distribution Leader Expands Its Anime Offerings

San Francisco, CA (August 9, 2008) * Online media distribution leader
Crunchyroll today announced an agreement with ADV Films, one of the top
producer-distributors of anime in North America, to provide streaming,
subscription, and download-to-own viewing for twelve animated series and
feature film properties. These new offerings will begin appearing online
later this month at www.crunchyroll.com <http://www.crunchyroll.com> .

ADV maintains one of the largest anime catalogs outside of Japan and has
played a key role in building anime's worldwide popularity over the past 16
years. Crunchyroll is the largest online community focused on Asian
entertainment, serving over four million fans worldwide. Today's
announcement substantially expands Crunchyroll's anime content and extends
ADV's online reach dramatically.

Vu Nguyen, co-founder of Crunchyroll, said "Crunchyroll is delighted to
partner with a pioneering US anime distributor to bring these great titles
to our passionate online community of anime fans."

"Consumers * particularly the 18-34 year old demo * are hungry for what we
have to offer, whether it's at the video store, on cable, and increasingly
over the Internet," said ADV Films co-founder and president John Ledford.
"As the largest community of its kind, Crunchyroll is the perfect platform
to reach new, tech-savvy anime fans."

Over the next twelve months, Crunchyroll will host nearly 72 hours of ADV
Films content, including TV series, animated features, and live-action
films. A full list is provided below.

Angelic Layer
26 episode animatedseries

BASToF Syndrome
26 episode animated series

Best Student Council
26 episode animated series

Chance Pop Session
13 episode animated series

Lady Death
animated feature

Magical Play
22 episode animated series

Martian Successor Nadesico: Prince of Darkness
animated feature

Nurse Witch Komugi
6 episode animated series

Parasite Dolls
animated feature

Saiyuki
50 episode animated series

Sin
animated feature

Yesterday
live-action film

(---- format slightly changed and company info snipped ----)

[something]

Good way to get some content that's well past its prime back in front of viewer eyeballs. What's especially smart is that you know there's very little overlap between these eyeballs and the eyeballs you've been selling DVDs to all along, so it's a new market.

Whether or not any money can be made from it is the next question, but it's not like ADV has anything left to lose.

[hikaru004]

CR members spend money that's why distributors are there in the first place.

So is this one of the new ADV partners that we are waiting to hear about?

[dragoon]

I'm very happy for this because ADV (as much as I love them), has not been able to provide good digital distribution and streaming... now they're going to hand it to pros who have done it and can do it... best of all it won't impair ADV financially and it won't divert ADV's workforce's attention into doing other things, like focusing on their core DVD business and licensing... :)

However, the question is, is CR their new partner that they've been hinting at or is Crunchyroll just one of many? I hope it's the latter.

Good move ADV.

[Damius]

I don't really know what to think of it. Anyway, let's see the results...

[ArcticMech]

Not too surprised by the announcement. ADV, in retrenchment mode, needed to better utilize their existing library and they already have a working relationship with CR. By limiting the roster of shows to lower-profile titles, there's little risk of canabilization of existing DVD sales. If anything, the increased exposure might reinvigorate DVD sales for some of these titles since at least some people still prefer DVDs to downloads. At the very least, it's a rather low risk way to test out this business model. Props to ADV. Good luck.

[mitamaking]

Another reason to avoid the Online Anime Network player, it seems that is flopping and they are just jumping to Crunchyroll.
Dang it though, Crunchyroll is evil, why are they getting support.

[dragoon]

Another reason to avoid the Online Anime Network player, it seems that is flopping and they are just jumping to Crunchyroll.
Dang it though, Crunchyroll is evil, why are they getting support.

Anime Network Online Player will have different shows that are not on Crunchyroll... like some of ADV's big titles.

[JINROH]

Sleeping with the enemy.That press release leaves a bad taste in my mouth.The day Vu Nguyen gets run over by a bus,is a day I wont be shedding any tears.

Online media distribution

Is that what they call theft now days ? I still wont buy digital downloads of anything.Nevermind from sites that have hurt the industry,and could care less about it.I cant see this changing that at all.Even with no DRM of any kind in the files.Its highly likely the video and sound quality,will be a step or two above trash.

I like my physical media thank you very much.And I prefer to do business with those who don't think its A O K to steal the hard work of others.

Dang it though, Crunchyroll is evil, why are they getting support.


Its cheaper to sleep with the enemy then to sue it.

[something]

Sleeping with the enemy.That press release leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
But I bet it tastes pretty good to ADV, and this couldn't happen without the approval of the Japanese either. I don't "like" Crunchyroll, but it's interesting to see the fans having a bigger problem with it than the actual rights holders. You go where the audience is, and unfortunately people like us aren't enough, no matter how valiantly we try to buy buy buy the industry back into shape.

I think the squeamishness about CR is becoming a bit obsolete as they partner with more and more legit rightsholders.

[Classical]

I must admit that I'm not very fond of Crunchyroll, but I hope that this works out well for ADV.

[JINROH]

Sleeping with the enemy.That press release leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
But I bet it tastes pretty good to ADV, and this couldn't happen without the approval of the Japanese either. I don't "like" Crunchyroll, but it's interesting to see the fans having a bigger problem with it than the actual rights holders. You go where the audience is, and unfortunately people like us aren't enough, no matter how valiantly we try to buy buy buy the industry back into shape.

I think the squeamishness about CR is becoming a bit obsolete as they partner with more and more legit rightsholders.



When your starving,and haven't eaten in days,everything does.Including stuff you hate.


Companies on their death beds will whore themselves out to anyone,given the right circumstances.Like I said in the other thread,its worldscheaper to drop your pants,for a hopeful fast buck then to litigate.What else,other then some advertising,do they really stand to gain from this ? If lawsuits are a bit too expensive for anyone but Funi right now (they do have in house counsel,which is far cheaper),why not have the R1 companies band together and spread out the costs ? (Just an idea,likely not feasible)

Why would anyone with half a brain in their head,buy shitty quality vids for 2 or 3 bucks a crack,when they can go to there local speed subber of the week and get a 720P,or higher res file with excellent encode,and kareoke for OP and ED for free, ?

Hey your ep doesnt work ?? No problem version v1.1 or v1.2 is coming out in a day or two...again for free.

I wish I could buy the industry back from where they are now,but your right we cant,as there are not anywhere near enough of us fans.

[something]

Companies on their death beds will whore themselves out to anyone,given the right circumstances.Like I said in the other thread,its worldscheaper to drop your pants,for a hopeful fast buck then to litigate.
Media Blasters certainly isn't on their deathbed. Yes, it might be a bad economic situation that drove companies to consider working with CR. But reality might be that it's way overdue and their inability to tap into the huge part of the fanbase that isn't willing to play by the traditional rules is what let the situation get to this point. It's long past time to just suck it up and try to accommodate that segment of fandom (which is not impossible), undesirable as that sounds. You go where the potential consumers are, if they aren't coming to you. That simple.

why not have the R1 companies band together and spread out the costs ? (Just an idea,likely not feasible)
You can't litigate your way out of the current market situation. You need an actual shift in priorities and worldview and business model, not a stubborn "sue em out of existence!" mindset.

So what if they theoretically did get together and crush Crunchyroll. Then what? What did they gain? I'll tell you what they *lost* - those 4 million CR users. If only a fraction of those buy, you've made money you pretty much had no access to previously, because those folks were not going to buy your DVDs, sadly.

Why would anyone with half a brain in their head,buy shitty quality vids for 2 or 3 bucks a crack,when they can go to there local speed subber of the week and get a 720P,or higher res file with excellent encode,and kareoke for OP and ED for free, ?
Clearly they do, or CR wouldn't be *expanding* and *making new partnerships*. I think you and a lot of other people underestimate the potential paying audience out there. Yes, they could go download the subs instead, but that doesn't mean they will if it's made more easily available on CR. Not everyone uses CR (or YouTube or Niconico) because it's free, they also use it because it's easy and because that's how they want their content delivered. Will all the worst leeches suddenly convert to industry supporting mega-fans? Hell, no, but they don't need to for this to succeed.

[hikaru004]

Companies on their death beds will whore themselves out to anyone,given the right circumstances.Like I said in the other thread,its worldscheaper to drop your pants,for a hopeful fast buck then to litigate.What else,other then some advertising,do they really stand to gain from this ? If lawsuits are a bit too expensive for anyone but Funi right now (they do have in house counsel,which is far cheaper),why not have the R1 companies band together and spread out the costs ? (Just an idea,likely not feasible)


Not to be too particular...

But most of the distributors have in-house counsel especially ADV. :bigsmile:

Putting titles on CR is a way to make more money. Media Blasters signed on too apparently when I believe they initally turned CR down.

CR is becoming more legit like YouTube. As they get more legit sources, they won't have too many of the illegit stuff to rely on.

[strata]

I'm officially done with anime.

I used to debate some of my then-friends about downloading anime. I passionately argued that buying DVDs supported the industry. They felt that cheaper was better and didn't care about the low quality or poor translations.

In the end, I suppose I wasted my time, not to mention my money. After all, the rightsholders don't respect the property; why should I ever have?

[Mr. Nail Bat]

In the end, I suppose I wasted my time, not to mention my money. After all, the rightsholders don't respect the property; why should I ever have?

They're "not respecting the property" because they are making it available on a website that will provide them with remuneration?

[something]

In the end, I suppose I wasted my time, not to mention my money. After all, the rightsholders don't respect the property; why should I ever have?
What in the world are you talking about? This is a way for the rightsholders to get anime to more fans in a legal way. When all is said and done, anime is a commercial product, a good to be sold. They are trying to make money. It's legal and the aim is to be beneficial to all parties - CR, R1, Japan, and the fans who are interested in this sort of service. Disrespecting the property? Hardly.

[hikaru004]

I'm officially done with anime.

I used to debate some of my then-friends about downloading anime. I passionately argued that buying DVDs supported the industry. They felt that cheaper was better and didn't care about the low quality or poor translations.
In the end, I suppose I wasted my time, not to mention my money. After all, the rightsholders don't respect the property; why should I ever have?

I can understand that you don't like CR and was probably caught up in the anti-CR stuff but anime is a business first. It has always been that. It's becoming more apparent as money gets tighter because of the economy.

CR has 4.3 million users and loads of them spend money on anime related stuff on the website. GONZO has proven that. Speed Racer Enterprises has set up a shop there. ADV must have gotten some respectable sales from them for Welcome to NHK or they wouldn't be back. And now Media Blasters and Udon Entertainment are coming.

Putting it on CR ensures that they have control now over how their property is being broadcasted and make money off those users so that they can give more back to R2. Throw in some swag and they can make more money off CR. (CR loves swag I believe.) This shows that they repect their properties very much.

[Ashyukun]

Why would anyone with half a brain in their head,buy shitty quality vids for 2 or 3 bucks a crack,when they can go to there local speed subber of the week and get a 720P,or higher res file with excellent encode,and kareoke for OP and ED for free, ?
Well, I can only really speak for myself- but how about the fact that it actually supports the show's creators and is legal vs. being a leech and quasi-legal at its very best?

Their encoding (at least for Strike Witches) has left something to be desired (especially for the size of the files), I'll not argue that at all, but it's probably no worse than if you were watching it on a SD television. Hopefully it's just a matter of their not being very good encoders as opposed to being given lousy quality files to distribute to drive future hard-media sales.