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NEWS: Navarre Evaluates Sale of Funimation in Current Quarter


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rinkwolf10



Joined: 05 Apr 2009
Posts: 750
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 10:38 am Reply with quote
So, is funimation doing good or bad? Also, it seem that Funimation has earned the Trust of it's Parent to "go out and play" on it's own.
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Otaku Teahouse



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 81
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 10:56 am Reply with quote
Rinkwolf wrote:
So, is funimation doing good or bad? Also, it seem that Funimation has earned the Trust of it's Parent to "go out and play" on it's own.


It means it's earnings have been well enough, but that the new things Funimation has planned (ie: all mostly good things) are things that Navarre really don't care about. Remember, Navarre has never been an anime company, they just owned the Funimation branch. This can only be a good thing because Navarre has always pretty much scoffed at Funimation, but still let them do what they saw as best for business.

The way I'm reading this isn't that Navarre is letting Funimation out of the house, but that Funimation has outgrown Navarre. Hopefully, Funimation will be bought by a new company that has a passion for anime.

....Actualy, here's a thought... What if Bandai bought Funimation and merged with them? That way Bandai will no longer have to worry about Bang Zoom not dubbing because they'll have their own in-house studio with Funimation.
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keikanna44



Joined: 12 Feb 2009
Posts: 155
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 10:56 am Reply with quote
Rinkwolf wrote:
So, is funimation doing good or bad? Also, it seem that Funimation has earned the Trust of it's Parent to "go out and play" on it's own.


Exactly what I was thinking. Laughing Is this good news? Bad news? or what? Funimation is my favorite dubbing company and I like the direction they have been going into these past couple of years and I especially love their SAVE and viridian dvd box sets. I've been able to afford to buy more DVD boxsets from them than ever before but I'm worried if this is a sign they are doing bad or good. I hope it's the later and with the low costing boxsets sales are increasing. I don't want to see funimation go out of business in this economy. I'm probably over reacting but with all the rumors about "the anime industry is in trouble" I worry.

Anyway hope this is good news. Funimation keep doing what you're doing. We love you Very Happy
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halo



Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 356
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 10:57 am Reply with quote
Rinkwolf wrote:
So, is funimation doing good or bad? Also, it seem that Funimation has earned the Trust of it's Parent to "go out and play" on it's own.


It could mean either, really. I suspect it means they're doing well and Navarre can get top dollar for them.
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bemused Bohemian



Joined: 09 Jun 2009
Posts: 404
Location: central Mizzou (Moral Oralville)
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 10:58 am Reply with quote
Wait until June 4 for more info but it sounds like Navarre wishes to move on with the niche it performs best in and leave anime production and distribution to someone else with deeper pockets. If the US economy is in a deflationary mode (downward pressure on pricing, profit margins thinned or fictitious) this cycle will affect the balance sheet of many small businesses. Navarre is making its decision while Funimation is marketable.
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Fellistowe





PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 10:58 am Reply with quote
Rinkwolf wrote:
So, is funimation doing good or bad?

I kinda read it as "they are doing ok, but maybe not for long in our hands". There was a bit of past tense language with regards to them being their top performer. Could just be me though Wink

On the good side, maybe being bought by someone, for example, Geneon Universal Entertainment would put them in a strong position to both create and distribute more western friendly anime titles and give them the expansion they are describing?

oh, p.s. Watches as fandom explodes again....
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Scamp



Joined: 30 Mar 2008
Posts: 97
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:01 am Reply with quote
So this means....what?

Actually sod it, I'll just listen to the next ANNCast. They always explain this sorta stuff
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chefneer
Aria Company



Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 1686
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:07 am Reply with quote
According to Navarre's reports, Funi has been "performing generally as expected", which usually means that they are making money.

Whether or not they're making enough money to function on their own, as a separate company, is another subject.

I suspect that halo has the right idea, Navarre has decided to sell while Funi is profitable and they can get the best price.
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keikanki



Joined: 25 Feb 2010
Posts: 107
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:08 am Reply with quote
Fellistowe wrote:
Rinkwolf wrote:
So, is funimation doing good or bad?

I kinda read it as "they are doing ok, but maybe not for long in our hands". There was a bit of past tense language with regards to them being their top performer. Could just be me though Wink


No matter how I look at it, there's definitely a tinge of "they're a bad investment" slithering beneath the black and white of this press release. If your business is really performing strongly, even if you wish you were doing something else, you don't cash out. That would be a breach of trust with your investors.

Also, I read the press release first and I can't help but see it as a Craigslist advertisement: Lightly used anime company for sale ** MUST SEE ** WON'T LAST
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firedragon54738



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
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PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:10 am Reply with quote
So Funi whats to do more sells online
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:10 am Reply with quote
Funimation's sales and earnings have been declining for some time, and will likely continue to until there is a dramatic shift in the market. Navarre probably sees them as an easy way to raise capital for their other larger businesses.

Funimation never quite lived up to what Navarre promised it's stock holders. They might be able to find a buyer, but I doubt they will get anywhere near what they paid for the company a few years back. Funi may be in a dominant position in anime, but that market is also half the size it was when Navarre made their acquisition.

But I wouldn't get too excited about it yet. Navarre is looking into selling, that doesn't mean they will go through with it. Not to mention entertainment companies can be quite hard to unload, especially in a shaky economy. Companies like MGM, Spelling, and others had a lot of difficult finding owners, and sometimes were unable to.
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captainbanana



Joined: 20 Feb 2009
Posts: 191
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:21 am Reply with quote
I wonder if any Japanese companies would be willing to pick Funimation up. It would put them in a great position to license new content, and it would give the Japanese a little bit of insight into what American consumers are looking to purchase. I'd assume that it would also be easier to get anime production committees to listen to an American voice if that American voice happened to be owned by a Japanese company.

I'm sure it won't happen, but it would be interesting.
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TheTheory



Joined: 23 Mar 2008
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Location: Central PA
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:42 am Reply with quote
captainbanana wrote:
I wonder if any Japanese companies would be willing to pick Funimation up.


There might be some that are willing... but the larger question is if WE'D want that. Everything I've heard about the Japanese anime business plan is archaic... they still do high priced, low episode count singles. If a Japanese company actually owned FUNi, would they push that same "ideal" upon them?
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LordRedhand



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 1472
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:48 am Reply with quote
chefneer wrote:
According to Navarre's reports, Funi has been "performing generally as expected", which usually means that they are making money.

Whether or not they're making enough money to function on their own, as a separate company, is another subject.

I suspect that halo has the right idea, Navarre has decided to sell while Funi is profitable and they can get the best price.


Pretty much this.

Really people need to take a deep breath and calm down, branches and parts of a company get sold all the time so what Navarre and Funimation are starting to evaluate is also nothing new.

So the message was pretty straight forward, that Navarre and Funimation are moving in different directions such that it may no longer be beneficial for a working relationship to continue because their "needs/wants" for growth are now different as opposed to shared.

As to a buyer I don't think a Japanese company is honestly in the position to do so and may not be helpful for Funimation (Remember they have several agreements with Gonzo, an anime company, especially in terms of exclusivity...) so the need to have an American voice at the table is already there for intents and purposes. It probably be better for a media company to be involved however as then they have distribution channels and are also developing digital delivery systems and have larger international distribution channels, i.e. Turner Broadcasting, Disney, etc.

That's my thoughts on this.


Last edited by LordRedhand on Thu May 27, 2010 11:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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WhosAsking



Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 79
PostPosted: Thu May 27, 2010 11:49 am Reply with quote
keikanki wrote:
Fellistowe wrote:
Rinkwolf wrote:
So, is funimation doing good or bad?

I kinda read it as "they are doing ok, but maybe not for long in our hands". There was a bit of past tense language with regards to them being their top performer. Could just be me though Wink


No matter how I look at it, there's definitely a tinge of "they're a bad investment" slithering beneath the black and white of this press release. If your business is really performing strongly, even if you wish you were doing something else, you don't cash out. That would be a breach of trust with your investors.

Also, I read the press release first and I can't help but see it as a Craigslist advertisement: Lightly used anime company for sale ** MUST SEE ** WON'T LAST
Breach of trust? Not necessarily. If an owner wishes to change business or simply leave, selling a going concern is the only legal way to proceed. Breach of trust can only be evaluated when a buyer is determined. If the buyer is within the business' field of expertise, then they probably have the capability to properly exploit the buisness' resources; trust would be retained in that case.
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