{"rewrite":{"id":"r_5874dd72021b8cc4ef4ff3cf","clusterId":"c_12b1797cd324c9d94fced615","slug":"hidive-expands-mbs-deal-licenses-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"HIDIVE Expands MBS Deal, Licenses Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden","summary":"AMC Global Media announced on Monday that it will extend and expand the distribution agreement between its subsidiary Sentai Filmworks and Japan's Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) in a new multi-year deal. HIDIVE will simulcast MBS's upcoming multi-year series lineup exclusively in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other markets outside of Asia. The expanded deal launches with the television anime of Umikaze Minamino's Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden light novel series as the first title. The anime will make its North American premiere at Anime NYC on August 26, ahead of its Japanese debut on October 6 on Tokyo MX at 9:25 p.m. JST, followed by BS NTV and MBS channels. Honoka Inoue stars as the titular Nia Liston. Motoki Nakanishi directs at KONAMI animation, with Haruta Segi as assistant director. Gigaemon Ichikawa handles series scripts, and Naoki Endo composes the music. HIDIVE President John Ledford called the agreement the service's largest content programming deal to date. The two companies first established their distribution partnership in March 2023. Additional titles in the new agreement have not yet been announced.","whyItMatters":"The deal extends a partnership that began in 2023 and previously delivered titles like My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha and I Parry Everything, now covering multiple seasons of MBS programming outside Asia.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eNia Liston: The Merciless Maiden (Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku) is the first title under the expanded deal, with HIDIVE set to reveal other fall 2026 simulcast titles at a later date.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eAn advance screening of the first three episodes is set for September 22 at esports TOKYO BAY studio.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThe voice cast includes Fuka Izumi as Lynokis Funk, Rinna Honnizumi as Hildetaura Altoire, and Rina Hidaka as Reliared Silver.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eYūki Itō (Mob Psycho 100 II OAV key animator) and Kana Tosaoka (Kantai Collection -KanColle- film in-between animator) design the characters, and Hiromi Kikuta (Aikatsu!, Blue Period, Haikyu!!) directs the sound.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMinamino launched the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in 2019 and ended its run there in 2021. Hobby Japan began publishing the novels with illustration by Jishaku in September 2022; Katana Canata took over illustration from the third volume in 2023. The 11th volume shipped June 1.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eKabuto Kodai launched the manga adaptation on Square Enix\u0026#39;s Manga UP! service in 2022. The eighth compiled volume shipped February 6, and Manga UP! Global publishes it in English.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMBS Director Mihoko Shibata said the partnership \u0026#34;has significantly expanded the global reach of MBS animation\u0026#34; over the past three years.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003ePrior titles under the 2023 agreement include My Gift Lvl 9999 Unlimited Gacha, I Parry Everything, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior, and Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World With Garbage Balancing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"HIDIVE's new MBS deal is its largest content programming deal to date, and it kicks off with Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden premiering at Anime NYC on August 26.","twitterPost":"Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden leads HIDIVE's expanded MBS output deal, covering simulcasts outside Asia across multiple seasons. More titles for Fall 2026 are still unannounced.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"HIDIVE has expanded its MBS partnership into its largest content deal yet, securing exclusive simulcast rights outside Asia for a multi-year slate. The first title, Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, premieres at Anime NYC before its October debut.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-10/hidive-expands-mbs-partnership-licenses-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden-anime/.240455\",\"title\":\"HIDIVE Expands MBS Partnership, Licenses Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden Anime\"},{\"source\":\"Anime Corner\",\"url\":\"https://animecorner.me/hidive-and-mbs-expand-anime-partnership-with-multi-year-exclusive-streaming-deal-announce-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden-license/\",\"title\":\"HIDIVE and MBS Expand Anime Partnership With Multi-Year Exclusive Streaming Deal, Announce Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden License\"},{\"source\":\"OtakuKart Anime\",\"url\":\"https://otakukart.com/hidive-expands-mbs-anime-partnership-with-largest-ever-content-deal-featuring-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden/\",\"title\":\"HIDIVE Expands MBS Anime Partnership With Largest-Ever Content Deal Featuring Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":12673,"outputTokens":1793,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786391868,"createdAt":"2026-08-10T19:47:35.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-10T19:51:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-10T19:47:35.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_12b1797cd324c9d94fced615","canonicalTitle":"HIDIVE Expands MBS Anime Partnership With Largest-Ever Content Deal Featuring Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden","representativeArticleId":"a_6715efc438f84317de1dad66","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"MBS\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"license\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-10T16:16:40.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-10T19:01:48.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-10T19:51:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-10/hidive-expands-mbs-partnership-licenses-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden-anime/.240455","title":"News\nHIDIVE Expands MBS Partnership, Licenses Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden Anime"},{"source":"Anime Corner","url":"https://animecorner.me/hidive-and-mbs-expand-anime-partnership-with-multi-year-exclusive-streaming-deal-announce-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden-license/","title":"HIDIVE and MBS Expand Anime Partnership With Multi-Year Exclusive Streaming Deal, Announce Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden License"},{"source":"OtakuKart Anime","url":"https://otakukart.com/hidive-expands-mbs-anime-partnership-with-largest-ever-content-deal-featuring-nia-liston-the-merciless-maiden/","title":"HIDIVE Expands MBS Anime Partnership With Largest-Ever Content Deal Featuring Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["MBS"],"people":[],"type":"license","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["HIDIVE will simulcast MBS's multi-year series lineup exclusively in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other markets outside of Asia.","Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden will make its North American premiere at Anime NYC on August 26.","The anime debuts on October 6 on Tokyo MX at 9:25 p.m. JST, followed by BS NTV and MBS channels.","Honoka Inoue stars as Nia Liston, with Motoki Nakanishi directing at KONAMI animation.","The light novel series by Umekaze Minamino launched on Shosetsuka ni Narou in 2019, and Hobby Japan published the 11th volume on June 1."]}