FUNimation
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FUNimation is a company that specializes in distributing anime and other merchandise in the United States. FUNimation is headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas, near Ft. Worth, occupying one and a half floors of a four story office building. The president of FUNimation is Gen Fukunaga.
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FUNimation rose to prominence by acquiring the rights to the popular anime titles Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z in the early 1990s. By 1998 they were able to get widespread television exposure via Cartoon Network and the Dragon Ball phenomenon quickly grew in the United States as it had elsewhere.
They also own distribution and merchandising rights to several other flagship anime titles including Dragon Ball GT, Yu Yu Hakusho, Blue Gender, Fruits Basket, Kiddy Grade, Case Closed (Detective Conan), Kodocha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Sakura Taisen, Spiral, and Samurai 7.
Funimation also has the rights to the distribution of the third OVA from the original Tenchi Muyo! series and one of the Tenchi Muyo spinoffs Tenchi Muyo! GXP, While Geneon has the rights to the other Tenchi Muyo-related productions.
FUNimation is a full service brand management company with in house recording, marketing and licensing.
In addition, they also provide distribution services for the kids animation company 4Kids Entertainment, who produced the American version of the anime titles Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, One Piece, and Shaman King.
On May 11th, 2005, FUNimation was acquired by Navarre Corporation and is now a subsidary of Navarre Corporation. In Navarre Corporation's press release regarding FUNImation, it revealed that FUNimation has shows airing not only on Cartoon Network but also Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and PBS Kids and that FUNimation has "third-party marketing, sales and distribution agreements with ... 4Kids Entertainment Inc., Nelvana, Alliance Atlantis, Chorion, WGBH, Cookie Jar Group, Porchlight Entertainment and Mainframe Entertainment" and that "Since January 1, 2005, FUNimation has signed product license agreements including Noddy, Winx, Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai 7, My Dad the Rock Star, and a co-production agreement with sports icon Tony Hawk." The press release also revealed financial information on FUNimation: "For the years ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004, FUNimation's audited results included net sales of $63.7 million, $81.6 million and $72.4 million, respectively, and pre-tax income of $24.9 million, $30.5 million and $29.8 million, respectively." Source: NAVARRE CORPORATION ACQUIRES FUNIMATION, AND PROVIDES FINANCIAL UPDATE AND GUIDANCE (http://www.navarre.com/PressRelease/Press275.htm)