ANIPLUS said on the 30th that it will complete its merger by absorption with its subsidiary Animax Broadcasting Korea (Animax) on July 1. It is about three years since it released the Animax acquisition in April 2023.
The merger proceeded at a ratio of 1 to 0 because ANIPLUS holds 100% equity in Animax. The company said it pursued the merger to improve management efficiency and integrate core businesses. As a result, the Animax corporation, established in 2006, has disappeared into history. However, the existing broadcast channels "ANIPLUS" and "Animax" will remain as they are.
Since the acquisition agreement in 2023, the two companies have focused on expanding synergy by combining their strengths across intellectual property (IP) sourcing, broadcasting, film, video on demand (VOD) distribution, and MD (merchandising) businesses. Notable results include "Demon Slayer: Mugen Castle Arc" and "Attack on Titan The Movie," which were box-office hits in Korea last year. ANIPLUS and Animax each hold the exclusive domestic distribution rights for the respective works.
ANIPLUS plans to use this merger as an opportunity to strengthen collaboration with affiliates, including the domestic animation OTT platform Laftel. Its strategy is to build a value chain spanning IP acquisition, broadcast channel operations, and OTT streaming to expand its market dominance at home and abroad.
Jeon Seung-taek, CEO of ANIPLUS, said, "We are grateful for the excellent performance Animax has shown over the past 20 years and its efforts to develop the domestic animation market," and added, "Now that the two companies, which hold 'Attack on Titan' and 'Demon Slayer,' have become one, we will show stronger growth through the merged entity going forward."