{"rewrite":{"id":"r_8627215ac6e3cc2e6ef951ca","clusterId":"c_803045dd4c6ffabf85536fd8","slug":"tbs-toei-animation-tv-tokyo-back-anibiz-with-6-million","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"TBS, Toei Animation, TV Tokyo Back AniBiz With $6 Million","summary":"Nakama, the media company led by co-founder and president Kun Gao, has received a US$6 million investment for its AniBiz.com anime licensing platform from TBS Group, Toei Animation, and TV Tokyo Holdings. AniBiz launched on July 2 and now lists more than 30 licensors. Nakama describes it as a B2B marketplace connecting anime rights holders with licensees such as brands, manufacturers, distributors, and game studios. Nakama announced the investment through Variety on Tuesday.","whyItMatters":"Three of the licensors the platform already lists are now paying into it, which ties the marketplace's supply side to the companies whose catalogs it depends on.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eAniBiz pitches itself as a way around the industry\u0026#39;s reliance on personal contacts. Gao told Variety that access to anime IP has depended on who you know, and the platform is meant to bring in partners outside the usual licensing circles. The site lists more than 30 licensors, among them Aniplex, dentsu, MBS, Pony Canyon, and Warner Bros. Japan. Fees run from a free basic profile to a pro tier at US$49 per month, with a bespoke tier above that. Nakama\u0026#39;s co-founders include CEO Brady McCollum and Sae Whan Song, who has worked at Toei Animation, Crunchyroll, and Viz Media.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"AniBiz lists more than 30 licensors two months after launch. TBS, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo are backing a marketplace where the rights holders they compete with also sell.","twitterPost":"TBS, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo funding AniBiz means the licensors selling on it now include the investors paying for it.","threadsPost":"AniBiz went live on July 2 and already lists more than 30 licensors. TBS, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo putting in $6 million means the platform's sellers now include the companies underwriting it, which makes neutral deal terms the hard part.","newsletterBlurb":"Nakama's AniBiz, a B2B marketplace for anime licensing, has taken a US$6 million investment from TBS Group, Toei Animation, and TV Tokyo Holdings. The platform launched on July 2 and lists more than 30 licensors. Its pitch is to lower the barrier for new licensees beyond the industry's usual networks.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-10-27/anibiz-anime-licensing-platform-receives-usd6-million-investment-from-tbs-toei-animation-tv-tokyo/.243261\",\"title\":\"AniBiz Anime Licensing Platform Receives US$6 Million Investment From TBS, Toei Animation, TV Tokyo\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5286,"outputTokens":741,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1793131466,"createdAt":"2026-10-27T19:58:30.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T20:03:24.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-27T20:03:24.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_803045dd4c6ffabf85536fd8","canonicalTitle":"News\nAniBiz Anime Licensing Platform Receives US$6 Million Investment From TBS, Toei Animation, TV Tokyo","representativeArticleId":"a_fd6d747fdb5298b25c7481a8","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"AniBiz\"],\"studios\":[\"TBS\",\"Toei Animation\",\"TV Tokyo\",\"Nakama\"],\"people\":[\"Kun Gao\"],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-27T19:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-28T17:29:23.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-28T17:32:54.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-10-27/anibiz-anime-licensing-platform-receives-usd6-million-investment-from-tbs-toei-animation-tv-tokyo/.243261","title":"News\nAniBiz Anime Licensing Platform Receives US$6 Million Investment From TBS, Toei Animation, TV Tokyo"},{"source":"OtakuKart Anime","url":"https://otakukart.com/anibiz-raises-6-million-from-tbs-group-toei-animation-and-tv-tokyo-holdings-to-expand-anime-licensing/","title":"AniBiz Raises $6 Million From TBS Group, Toei Animation, and TV Tokyo Holdings to Expand Anime Licensing"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["AniBiz"],"studios":["TBS","Toei Animation","TV Tokyo","Nakama"],"people":["Kun Gao"],"type":"business","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Nakama received a US$6 million investment for AniBiz.com from TBS Group, Toei Animation, and TV Tokyo Holdings.","Nakama launched AniBiz on July 2.","AniBiz now hosts more than 30 licensors.","Kun Gao is co-founder and president of Nakama.","AniBiz's pro tier costs US$49 per month at launch, with a free basic tier below it."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["anibiz","tbs","toei-animation","tv-tokyo","nakama","kun-gao"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"anibiz","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":2,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"tbs","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":2,"overall":"unverified","story_count":4,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"toei-animation","supported":6,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":16,"overall":"green","story_count":27,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"tv-tokyo","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":2,"overall":"unverified","story_count":3,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"nakama","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":0,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"kun-gao","supported":1,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":0,"overall":"green","story_count":2,"has_dossier":false}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}