Nakama announced a $6 million strategic investment in its AniBiz anime licensing platform from Japanese media firms TBS Group, Toei Animation, and TV Tokyo Holdings. The San Francisco firm built the web market to link Japanese rights owners with global brands, consumer goods makers, stores, and game studios seeking IP deals [2]. Former Crunchyroll heads launched AniBiz to simplify cross-border agreements.
Connecting Rights Owners With Buyers
The service runs as a trade market connecting anime owners with brand buyers outside Japan. Japanese studios often struggle to vet foreign applicants, while overseas buyers can’t find who holds the rights on production committees. AniBiz organizes catalog data so prospective partners find series and send deal offers without needing personal ties in Tokyo. The site hosts thousands of anime properties in its searchable database, giving owners direct control over which verified firms see their materials and bid on trade rights [1].
Kun Gao, co-founder and president of Nakama, spoke about the friction that new entrants face when approaching the Japanese animation sector. “For decades, access to anime IP has largely depended on who you know,” Gao told Variety reporter Todd Spangler [2]. Gao said AniBiz anime licensing lowers entry hurdles for creators, retail chains, goods makers, and startups that want to license characters but lack established industry contacts [1].
Licensing workflows in Tokyo typically involve messy email threads and cold outreach that can take months to produce a basic deal. AniBiz cuts this wait by vetting buyers before they message rights owners. Gao told Alex Mateo of Anime News Network that because anime deals are tricky, new buyers can’t easily break into the market and licensors struggle to guide them. “We want to streamline the process so that you can bring on new licensees and educate them in a way that you can … facilitate them joining the anime economy,” Gao said. Nakama launched the site on July 2 [1].
Studio Investment and Strategic Backing
The $6 million cash injection comes from three major Japanese anime makers and TV networks. TBS Group, Toei Animation, and TV Tokyo Holdings joined the round to help standardize overseas deal pipelines. “When the companies that create and license anime’s biggest IP invest in a platform, it says this is where the industry does business,” said Nakama co-founder and chief executive Brady McCollum [2].
Toei Animation brings nearly 70 years of character work to the venture as it looks for safe ways to expand globally. Masayuki Endo, senior executive officer and deputy head of sales and planning at Toei Animation, said the firm needed fresh tools to protect its IP while welcoming partners worldwide. “Protecting that IP while opening it to new partners requires the right infrastructure. We believe AniBiz is that infrastructure, and we are investing to help it become the industry standard,” Endo said. Toei Animation has built fan goods for decades [2]. It previously expanded its foreign footprint through direct retail pushes like the Toei Animation retail store expansion for One Piece merchandise and character apparel in North America.
TV Tokyo Holdings senior managing director Toshiyuki Hiraoka spoke about how the deal supports broadcast catalogs. “This partnership will maximize the global value of anime IP and expand our licensee network across markets worldwide,” Hiraoka said. The Tokyo network airs popular anime shows worldwide [2]. Turkish media outlet Magazin Sitesi reported that Japanese TV networks now look abroad for fresh licensing revenue [5].
AniBiz Anime Licensing Tiers and Costs
AniBiz uses tiered accounts so distinct commercial partners can sign up according to their scale. The basic tier is free. It lets prospective buyers build a verified profile that rights owners can find through search tools. This entry tier helps small makers and niche brands show their capacity without paying upfront platform fees [1].
Firms that need steady access to catalog data can buy a pro tier priced at $49 per month at launch. This paid tier gives members title data feeds, committee rosters, and direct rights owner contact points. Gao said that AniBiz anime licensing also offers a third bespoke tier for brands that have custom requests or need guided deal assistance [1]. Clear pricing helps firms plan product budgets without hidden agency fees.
Nakama co-founder Sae Whan Song brought insight from past leadership roles at Crunchyroll, Toei Animation, and Viz Media. Song saw how licensing bottlenecks blocked legitimate firms from making anime goods. The team drew on models tested during earlier Crunchyroll manga distribution partnerships to open rights access to newer creative sectors.
Rights Holders on the Roster
The platform’s licensor base grew from 20 firms at its July launch to more than 30 rights holders this autumn. Newly joined licensors include ABC Animation, DMM.com, docomo Anime Store, Genco, GREE Entertainment, Shochiku, ShoPro, Sola Entertainment, and game firm Yostar [3]. These groups control anime catalogs spanning broadcast TV, films, and mobile games.
They join launch partners including ADK Emotions, Avex Pictures, CyberAgent, Dentsu Anime Solutions, Dai Nippon Printing, Fuji Creative Corporation, FuRyu Pictures, Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures, IMAGICA Infos, MBS, Pony Canyon, Takara Tomy, TOHO Global, TV Asahi, Warner Bros. Japan, YTV, and YTE. Gathering these studios, networks, and ad agencies in one searchable venue addresses a big hurdle for foreign buyers who previously navigated tangled production committees across Japan. When multiple corporate entities hold partial stakes in a single title, finding who can sign merchandise deals can take months. AniBiz clarifies ownership and committee members so foreign brands can negotiate directly with verified rights holders [1].
The search tools let buyers filter by audience, art format, and open merchandise rights. A toy maker can search specifically for titles with open figurine rights, while a fashion brand can find series open for streetwear collections and pop-up events. Direct chat tools let owners reply quickly to bids, cutting the delays common in older agency channels [3].
AniBiz Anime Licensing in Global Markets
Nakama opened free signup on AniBiz.com to companies worldwide without requiring past deals in Japan. The startup seeks licensees from consumer goods, retail, gaming, food and beverage, and live events. In a public post on LinkedIn, AniBiz representative Tommy Colburn said opening verification to global buyers helps democratize access to Japanese IP [4].
“Access to anime IP should not depend on who you know,” said Sae Whan Song, co-founder and head of business development at Nakama. “With the industry’s leading licensors on one platform, every company in the world now has an official way in. The only question is which IP to license first.” Gao shared a matching view, telling reporters that the global market of potential licensees outside Japan could be ten to one hundred times larger than the existing industry circle [1]. AniBiz anime licensing provides the framework to connect those untapped companies with Japanese creators.
Nakama’s executive team previously built Crunchyroll from inception into a global streaming service with over 10 million users and more than $1 billion in annual revenue. That track record in consumer products, distribution, and co-productions gives the startup practical knowledge of international anime demand. Crunchyroll grew rapidly under their watch. By providing a secure digital meeting place, AniBiz aims to turn character licensing into an accessible process for brands across global markets [3].
- ONLINE NEWS Mateo, A. (2026, October 27). AniBiz anime licensing platform receives US$6 million investment from TBS, Toei Animation, TV Tokyo. Anime News Network. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Spangler, T. (2026, October 27). Anime licensing platform AniBiz gets $6 million investment from Japan’s TBS Group, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo Holdings. Variety. [Article Link]
- PRESS RELEASE Nakama, Inc. (2026, October 27). TBS Group, Toei Animation and TV TOKYO Holdings make strategic investment in AniBiz.com, the official anime licensing platform. PR Newswire. [Article Link]
- WEBSITE Colburn, T. (2026, October 27). Anime licensing platform AniBiz gets $6 million investment from Japan’s TBS Group, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo Holdings. LinkedIn. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Magazin Sitesi Editör Masası. (2026, October 27). Anime licensing platform AniBiz gets $6 million investment from Japan’s TBS Group, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo Holdings. Magazin Sitesi. [Article Link]
