ANIMETV TO AIR ON COMCAST’S ANIME SELECTS ON DEMAND NETWORK
Popular Program Featuring Commentary And Industry Interviews To Air On Nation’s Leading Video-On-Demand Network Beginning September
Bang Zoom! Entertainment, a leading full-service audio post production company and producer of original entertainment content, has announced that Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) has picked up the 9-episode first season of AnimeTV™ for its popular Anime Selects On Demand network. The program, which is produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment, has attracted a growing legion of fans with informative commentary and interviews with a variety of anime industry luminaries. The first episodes will be available to Comcast subscribers with Select On Demand service beginning September 4. More information is available at www.goanimetv.com.
The broadcast is significant because it marks the first time an independently produced program dedicated to covering the burgeoning anime market will be made available in so many major national markets. Comcast Corporation is the nation's largest producer and distributor of non-linear programming designed for Video-On-Demand and the availability of the first season of AnimeTV will give viewers even more choices for innovative and unique anime programming. Comcast Digital Cable customers with VOD have embraced this next-generation of content delivery, choosing more than 177 million Select On Demand programs since 2005.
AnimeTV is the first industry-approved program devoted to the anime phenomenon sweeping North America . With an outgoing format akin to MTV-meets-Entertainment Tonight, AnimeTV is hosted by noted voice actor and Bang Zoom! talent Johnny Yong Bosch, (“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” “Bleach,” “Trigun”). Some highlights from the first season include reviews of popular series including "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," "Naruto," "Samurai Champloo," "HARÉ + GUU," and Bleach.
The way these series are dubbed from their original Japanese and prepared for domestic broadcast is of special interest to fans eager to see how characters are portrayed and what, if any personality differences occur in the new versions. Season One of AnimeTV features interviews with prominent voice actors like Steve Blum (Spike from "Cowboy Bebop") and Wendee Lee (Faye from Cowboy Bebop), who give rare personal insights into how they reinterpret characters for domestic audiences as well as motivations and challenges working in the anime arena.
“We are very pleased to offer the first season of AnimeTV to Comcast viewers as part of our On Demand service,” states Peter Heumiller, Comcast Vice President of Acquisition and Development. “Anime is a very popular entertainment genre among key teen and young adult viewers and Comcast is committed to giving them the most compelling content available. AnimeTV keeps with that goal and we look forward to it becoming an ongoing part of our programming.”
AnimeTV is the creation of Bang Zoom! Entertainment President and CEO Eric P. Sherman, an ardent anime fan and the head of one of the leading facilities providing voice talent and audio post production to the anime industry. Originally offered as a modest self-produced pod cast for fans by fans, AnimeTV’s popularity has grown substantially since becoming available via iTunes and www.goanimetv.com. Comcast’s Anime Selects became interested following collaborating with the program at the 2007 Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in North America, attended by over 44,000 people this year. Anime Selects broadcasted a series of news bulletins and a variety of entertainment from the show floor and requested AnimeTV to host all of its interactive events throughout the convention. In addition, they taped live an AnimeTV LIVE episode that saw excited fans lined up two hours before show time.
“We are very excited to have Comcast’s Anime Selects On Demand network offer AnimeTV beginning this fall,” offers Sherman . “The show is unique in its devotion to accurately cover the varied world of anime, gaming and J-pop and was created as a fun, fast and convenient way for new as well as veteran fans to get information, reviews and interviews. The passionate reception we received from fans during our partnership with Anime Selects at the 2007 Anime Expo validated the enthusiasm people feel for this unique program and we look forward to the potential to now reach millions of viewers through Comcast’s innovative Select On Demand service.”
