Cinedigm Closes Acquisition of Global VOD Service Viewster And Its Subsidiary Platform Viewster Anime
The Deal Bolsters Cinedigm’s Extensive OTT Content Portfolio, Perfectly Complementing the Company’s Roster of Anime and Fandom-Focused Offerings
Los Angeles, CA(05 Feb 2019)
Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) announced today the acquisition of the global VOD service Viewster and its subsidiary platform Viewster Anime, in a landmark move that further bolsters Cinedigm’s extensive OTT content portfolio, while adding an established and well-known property with a massive homegrown consumer base. The Company will immediately take over ownership and management of all Viewster and Viewster Anime content, augmenting the platforms’ roster of fandom and Anime offerings into Cinedigm’s library of channels and content, with select programming debuting on the Company’s popular fandom lifestyle network CONtv.
As part of the move, Cinedigm will also be overseeing the operation of all content, applications, and social assets belonging to both platforms. Ad sales will be handled in-house and through Cinedigm’s network of partners. Viewster Anime will continue to exist as a subscription channel on Amazon Channels as well as the recently announced Roku Channel. Cinedigm also plans to bring ad-supported, linear and subscription offerings of Viewster to additional OEM, cable, telco and digital partners over the next several quarters.
Founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 2007, Viewster has quickly emerged as a competitive force in the global Video On Demand industry—delivering more thousands of hours of new digital content, and establishing a strong branded presence in over 30 international markets that includes a combined total of over 256,000 subscribers across YouTube and Amazon Prime Video, as well as more than 1.1 million monthly active viewers around the globe. The acquisition will expand Cinedigm’s already sizeable customer base, which achieved over 370 percent year-over-year growth in ad-supported user base across linear and ad-supported VOD platforms in 2018 alone.
Cinedigm plans to make Viewster a core part of its ad-based content strategy, integrating the platform’s eclectic entertainment library featuring over 6,000 films and series. Viewster offerings span a wide array of genres, putting the spotlight on animation, anime, comedy, documentaries, drama and horror.
Cinedigm will continue to distribute Viewster Anime as a standalone brand, which boasts an impressive selection of acclaimed Anime films and series, ranging from classic favorites to fresh simulcasts delivered straight from Japan, providing viewers with instant access to top-tier premium full-length content. Acquired content highlights include hit films such as Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Fist Of The North Star, and Galaxy Express 999, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and Night On The Galactic Railroad, as well as popular series such as Street Fighter II: The Animated Series, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact!, Gunslinger Girl, GATE, and Food Wars, among many others. The platform offers programming in a wide variety of languages, with new content added every week.
“Viewster and Viewster Anime are perfect complements to our growing base of premium content networks,” said Erick Opeka, President of Cinedigm Digital Networks. “The acquisition of Viewster strengthens our market position in the fandom space, dramatically increases our global footprint, and greatly accelerates our plans to grow our ad-supported businesses.”
ABOUT CINEDIGM
Since inception, Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) has been a leader at the forefront of the digital transformation of content distribution. Adapting to the rapidly transforming business needs of today’s entertainment landscape, Cinedigm remains a change-centric player focused on providing content, channels and services to the world’s largest media, technology and retail companies. Cinedigm’s Content and Networks groups provide original and aggregated programming, channels and services that entertain consumers globally across hundreds of millions of devices. For more information, visit www.cinedigm.com.