Halifax, NS – 26 May 2016 – DHX Media Ltd. (“DHX”) (NASDAQ: DHXM; TSX: DHX.A, DHX.B), the world’s leading independent, pure-play kids’ content company, and Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc. have struck a global deal to develop, co-produce, distribute and jointly manage licensing for a new Mega Man™ animated series based upon the legendary Capcom Mega Man video game franchise. The deal was announced today by Yuichi Kinoshita, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc., and by Asaph Fipke, Chief Content Officer of DHX.
Under the terms of the deal, Dentsu Entertainment USA and DHX will manage all global rights for the new Mega Man animated series. Distribution and licensing in the United States will be handled by DHX in collaboration with Dentsu Entertainment USA. Dentsu Inc., parent company of Dentsu Entertainment USA, will manage distribution and licensing in Asia. DHX will manage distribution and licensing in all other territories. Dentsu Entertainment USA and DHX will both participate in all revenue streams related to this agreement.
DHX’s Chief Content Officer, Asaph Fipke, said, “We’re very excited to be working with Dentsu on Mega Man. This is yet another deal born of our strategy of teaming up with leading companies on high-profile kids’ brands that we can leverage across our platform of production, distribution, licensing and broadcast. We see this as an excellent opportunity to build on the rich legacy of the Mega Man video game series and introduce the famous boy robot to a whole new generation of kids worldwide.”
Dentsu Entertainment USA’s Kinoshita said, “Mega Man has a rare, nearly three-decade-long tradition with fans. We are excited to work with DHX to bring this newly imagined version of a long-beloved character back to the global marketplace.”
Aimed at kids 6 to 9, as well as their parents who grew up loving the videogames, the animated series will feature exciting new technologies and robots, as well as the introduction of Mega Man’s alter-ego, Aki Light, a normal, upbeat, schoolboy robot. When activated, his skin re-forms – in a flurry of computer code and visual pyrotechnics – into a suit of impenetrable nanocore armor, including the iconic Mega Buster arm cannon and helmet. Beloved characters, like Rush, will return – while new characters, like Mega Mini™, will make their debut! The new Mega Man animated series has a target air date of 2017, coinciding with the franchise’s 30th anniversary.
Man of Action Entertainment are creators of the $4.5 billion franchise Ben 10, Generator Rex, the team and characters in the Academy Award®-winner Big Hero 6, and the executive producers/writers who launched Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble. Man of Action will executive produce the all-new Mega Man.
Man of Action’s Duncan Rouleau said, “The best thing about Mega Man is his unflinching wide-eyed optimism and an over-the-top sense of humor. This show reflects both qualities. We’ve got it all in here, it’s hopeful, forward-leaning, action-packed… It’s full-on fun ahead!”
About Mega Man
The Mega Man franchise is grounded in a series of video games, first launched in 1987 by Capcom, featuring battles fought by the eponymous blue robot protagonist and an ongoing cast of allies and enemies. The Mega Man multiverse has spawned over 130 video games on multiple gaming systems, selling over 30 million copies worldwide, as well as a plethora of toys, comics and collectibles. A highly-rated Mega Man TV series was popular in the USA in the mid-1990s and aired on ABC Family. The new animated Mega Man series focuses on a normal, upbeat schoolboy robot, who discovers that deep within his programming lies secret protocols that can transform him into the powerful Mega Man. And, as the world’s first robotic super-hero, Mega Man must face the threats of Silicon City, while trying to preserve his secret identity and maintain a regular robot boy life.
About DHX Media Ltd
DHX Media Ltd. (www.dhxmedia.com) is the world’s leading independent, pure-play kids’ content company. Owner of the world’s largest independent library of kids’ and family content, at more than 11,500 half-hours, DHX Media is recognized globally for such brands as Teletubbies, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, In the Night Garden, Inspector Gadget, Make It Pop, Slugterra and the multiple award-winning Degrassi franchise. DHX Media is comprised of four main business units: DHX Studios creates high-quality original entertainment at its Vancouver and Halifax animation studios, its Toronto live-action studio, and in working with top international producers; DHX Distribution is a major provider of content to the global market; DHX Television, home to the Family suite of channels, is dedicated to delivering best-in-class programming to Canadian families; and DHX Brands specializes in creating, building and managing high-profile global entertainment brands within the children’s and young-adult markets. DHX Media also owns the full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. (CPLG), which represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. DHX Media has offices in 15 cities worldwide, including Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich, Amsterdam and Beijing. The Company is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol DHXM, and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols DHX.A and DHX.B.
About Dentsu Entertainments USA, Inc.
Dentsu Entertainment USA, Inc. was formed in 2010 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange, Code 4324). Dentsu Inc. is the world’s largest advertising agency, and a leading producer of Japanese animation, with approximately 48,000 full-time employees and more than 750 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Dentsu Entertainment USA develops original animation programming and media content for domestic and international markets, and manages licensing programs for new and existing properties. Current projects include production of the new Mega Man™ animated TV series. Past projects include YO-KAI WATCH™ and LBX™ (a.k.a. ” Little Battlers eXperience”), both highly successful animation, video game and toy franchises; Deltora Quest®, a 52-episode animated series airing globally, and based on the international top-selling fantasy-adventure book series of the same name; and Monsuno®, an innovative toy line and animated boys action adventure series currently airing on Nicktoons and free-to-air channels in more than 150 countries. Dentsu Entertainment USA is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit www.DentsuEntertainment.com.
About Man of Action Entertainment
Man of Action Entertainment are Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle, the writers’ collective behind comic’s largest franchise characters as well as original characters published by their imprint at Image Comics. Their creations include Ben 10, the $4.5 billion boys’ action franchise for which they’re executive producing a new iteration, and Generator Rex, both for Cartoon Network. Dentsu handpicked them to create, write and executive produce the all-new MegaMan series. They also launched Disney XD’s Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers Assemble as EXP/writers. Man of Action created the characters and team that were featured in Big Hero 6, Disney/Marvel’s Academy Award®-winning feature. In addition to creating successful video games, toy lines and comic books, Man of Action are the creator/producer/writers of upcoming feature films and live-action TV series based on their original comic books and graphic novels including I Kill Giants, Officer Downe, Kafka, The Crusades and The Great Unknown. http://manofaction.tv http://www.Facebook.com/ManOfActionEnt http://www.Twitter.com/ManOfActionEnt http://instagram.com/ManOfActionENT
Disclaimer
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” under applicable securities laws with respect to DHX including, without limitation, the completion of financing and production, the timing of a television series debut and the ability of DHX Media to place the series for broadcast. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risk factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent Annual Information Form and annual Management Discussion and Analysis, which also form part of the Company’s annual report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Mega Man is a trademark of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries.
For more information, please contact:
DHX Media:
Trade Media:
Aimee Norman at DDA Blueprint PR
aimee@ddablueprint.com
+44 (0) 20 8985 4708
Investor Relations:
Nancy Chan-Palmateer – Director, Investor Relations, DHX Media Ltd.
nancy.chanpalmateer@dhxmedia.com
+1 416-977-7358
Financial Media Relations:
Shaun Smith – Director, Corporate Communications, DHX Media Ltd.
shaun.smith@dhxmedia.com
+1 416-977-7230
Dentsu Entertainment USA:
Karen Strickholm
505-660-9423
KS@KarenStrickholm.com
Man of Action Entertainment:
Brenda Feldman
818-808-0000
feldmanpr1@gmail.com