News
ADK Restructures, Acquires All of Anime Company d-rights
posted on by Karen Ressler
Japanese advertising agency Asatsu-DK (ADK) divided itself into ADK Holdings, ADK Marketing Solutions, and ADK Creative One as part of a restructuring on Tuesday. On Friday, the agency will establish a new subsidiary named ADK Emotions.
ADK Holdings will oversee the other three companies going forward. ADK Marketing Solutions will focus on business and marketing, while ADK Creative One will focus on creative works for the advertising company. ADK Emotions will focus on IP management; Journalist Tadashi Sudo reported for Animation Business Journal that the agency's anime endeavors will fall under this umbrella.
Sudo also reported last month that Asatsu-DK acquired all of the anime financing and rights management company d-rights (B-Daman, Beyblade) from its former co-owner Mitsubishi Corporation on December 20. d-rights is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Asatsu-DK.
Asatsu, Inc. merged with Dai-Ichi Kikaku Co., Ltd. to form Asatsu-DK in 1999, and it is currently Japan's third-largest advertising agency. Asatsu and Dai-Ichi Kikaku were involved with production of anime such as Mazinger Z, Kyojin no Hoshi, and Yōkai Ningen Bem. Asatsu-DK has been involved with production of various Precure, Gundam, Doraemon, and Crayon Shin-chan anime. Asatsu-DK acquired 84.01% of shares in animation studio Gonzo in 2016. Boston-based investment firm Bain Capital purchased Asatsu-DK in March 2018.
d-rights was established in 1988, and Mitsubishi Corporation bought the company in 2001. Asatsu-DK acquired a 51% share of the company in 2015.
Sources: ADK, Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo; link 2)
