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Native name | NBCユニバーサル・エンターテイメントジャパン合同会社 |
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Romanized name | EnubīshīYunibāsaru Entāteimento Japan gōdō gaisha |
| Formerly | LaserDisc Corporation (1981–1989) Pioneer LDC, Inc. (1989–2003) Geneon Entertainment Inc. (2003–2009) Geneon Universal Entertainment Japan, LLC. (2009–2013) |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Founded | March 1981; 44 years ago (1981-03) |
| Founder | Pioneer Corporation |
| Headquarters | Atago,, Japan |
Area served | Japan |
Key people | Shoji Doyama (CEO andpresident) |
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| Website | www |
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan LLC (Japanese:NBCユニバーサル・エンターテイメントジャパン合同会社,Hepburn:Enubīshī Yunibāsaru Entāteimento JapanGōdō gaisha) (abbreviated asNBCUEJ) is a Japanese music,anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary ofNBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media companyComcast headquartered inAkasaka,Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution ofanime within Japan.
The company was founded in March 1981 byPioneer Corporation asLaserDisc Corporation, aLaserDisc player production company. In 1989, the company was renamedPioneer LDC, Inc. as it branched into the anime, music, and film industries, and laterGeneon Entertainment Inc. (after being acquired byDentsu in 2003). In 2008, Geneon merged withUniversal Pictures Japan to formGeneon Universal Entertainment Japan, LLC; in 2013, the company changed its name to the current NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. Some of the well-known anime series the company has produced areA Certain Magical Index,The Heroic Legend of Arslan,Danganronpa: The Animation,Golden Kamuy,Seraph of the End, andIs the Order a Rabbit? among many others.
Despite the name, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan does not distributeUniversal Pictures films theatrically in Japan;Toho (through Toho-Towa) exclusively distributes them for Japanese theaters.
| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
|---|---|
| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (laterUniversal Television) |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands toComcast |
| 1975 | Filmworks is founded |
| 1976 | Filmworks becomes Casablanca Record & Filmworks |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (laterUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment) is established |
| 1983 | PolyGram Pictures closes |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1986 | General Electric re-purchases its former subsidiaryRCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake inA&E |
| 1987 | PolyGram Movies is founded |
| 1989 | NBC relaunchesTempo Television asCNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens PolyGram Movies is renamedPolyGram Filmed Entertainment Sky Television andBritish Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (laterUniversal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Animation is founded |
| 1995 | Seagram acquires Universal through its acquisition of MCA NBC andMicrosoft replaceAmerica's Talking withMSNBC |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures Universal Studios Florida expands to becomeUniversal Orlando Resort |
| 2000 | Seagram is sold toVivendi and merged withStudioCanal to become Vivendi Universal Entertainment |
| 2001 | Grand opening ofUniversal Studios Japan Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquiresTelemundo andBravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquiresAT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal intoNBCUniversal |
| 2005 | Comcast sets up a joint-venture withPBS,Sesame Workshop &HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast &Time Warner Cable jointly acquireAdelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2011 | Vivendi divests interest in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | NBCUniversal divests itsA&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2016 | NBCU acquiresDreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | Sprout relaunches asUniversal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky from21st Century Fox |
| 2020 | NBCU launchesPeacock |
| 2025 | NBCUniversal annouces the closure of Universal Kids |
Pioneer Corporation founded the LaserDisc Corporation (レーザーディスク株式会社,RēzāDisuku Kabushiki-gaisha) in March 1981 to produce LaserDisc players in Japan.[1] The LaserDisc Corporation changed its name to Pioneer LDC, Inc. (パイオニア エル・ディー・シー株式会社,Paionia Eru Dī Shī Kabushiki-gaisha) in 1989 as part of an attempt to branch off into the anime,film, andmusic industries.[1] As Pioneer LDC, they developed and published severalvideo games for theSega Saturn andPlayStation, such as games based onMagical Girl Pretty Sammy,Tenchi Muyo!, andSerial Experiments Lain.[2][3][4]
In December 1985, Pioneer LDC made an effort to expand into the North American business, by establishing a subsidiary in the region namedLaserDisc Corporation of America in an effort to consolidate the Pioneer Video and Pioneer Audio units, who maintained the Pioneer Artists label, which was initially based near New Jersey, following the introduction of a combined CD/laserdisc player.[5]
In late 1991, Pioneer LDC established a European division, Pioneer LDCE (short for LaserDisc Corporation of Europe), hoping to revive interest of Laserdiscs in the European market afterPhilips' Laserdisc players flopped in Europe.[6] Around the same time, the company begin licensing titles fromGuild Film Distribution to release 140 films to Laserdisc for theUnited Kingdom market, and additionally licensed titles from VCL Communications/Carolco Pictures to release 20 titles to theGerman market.[7]
In 1992, LaserDisc released their first anime titleTenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki.[1]
On July 21, 2003, the company was acquired by Japanese advertising and marketing company firmDentsu and renamed to Geneon Entertainment Inc. (ジェネオン エンタテインメント株式会社,Jeneon Entateinmento Kabushiki-gaisha), while its North American division, Pioneer Entertainment, was renamed Geneon USA.[8][9]
On November 12, 2008, Dentsu announced that it was selling 80.1% of its ownership in the company toNBC Universal's Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE), who planned to merge the company with its Universal Pictures Japan division—which had no longer theatrically distributed Universal Pictures films in Japan, having delegated its theatrical distribution tasks toToho subsidiary Toho-Towa since the dissolution ofUnited International Pictures Japan in 2007—to form a new company.[10][11] The merger later closed, with the new company known as Geneon Universal Entertainment Japan, LLC. (ジェネオン・ユニバーサル・エンターテイメントジャパン合同会社,Jeneon Yunibāsaru Entāteimento Japan Gōdō-kaisha).[12] On December 9, 2013, the company once again changed its name to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan LLC.[13]
On February 17, 2013, they made a partnership withUniversal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to distribute their anime titles directly in Australia and New Zealand.[14]
On January 1, 2016, Paramount Japan was purchased by NBCUniversal and dissolved shortly afterwards.[15] This was due toParamount Pictures establishing a joint-venture with Toho-Towa named Towa Pictures Company Limited, which would distribute Paramount's films in Japan.[16]
On July 12, 2017, they announced a partnership withCrunchyroll to co-produce anime with "international appeal".[17]
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