PR: Viz Brings Major Changes To Neon Alley April 1st

VIZ MEDIA’S NEON ALLEY EVOLVES TO BECOME NEW HOME FOR DIGITAL STREAMING ANIME CONTENT IN THE U.S.

Anime Streaming Brand To Be Carried By Hulu And Hulu Plus Video-On-Demand Services, And Will Continue To Offer Simulcast Premieres And Exclusive Content To An Expanded Audience

San Francisco, CA, February 11, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces a significant milestone in the evolution of Neon Alley as the company moves to consolidate all of its digital streaming anime content offerings under its Neon Alley brand.

Effective April 1^st, VIZ Media will transition its weekly episodic anime programming to the successful free ad-supported Hulu and subscription-based Hulu Plus Video-On-Demand services. The move also expands VIZ Media’s role as a content partner for one of the U.S.’s biggest video streaming providers.

U.S. fans will be able to catch a wide variety of brand new anime, as well as classic content distributed and/or licensed by VIZ Media, for FREE at www.NeonAlley.com. The site will also become the new home for all FREE streaming anime content previously available on VIZAnime.com, including first-run simulcasts for hit series such as NARUTO SHIPPUDEN. Titles will be presented with easy-to-use selections for dubbed and/or subbed content (when available).

Neon Alley will reach an expansive on-demand audience on the free, ad-supported Hulu and Hulu Plus subscription service, which enables viewers to watch shows anytime, anywhere across devices, including PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku, Chromecast, and a multitude of additional mobile devices that already support the app. Additional details on Hulu Plus enabled devices can be found here. VIZ Media will continue to make programming decisions for Neon Alley, and will release additional news on Neon Alley availability for Canadian users in the near future.

“Neon Alley’s mission has always been to offer an innovative way for domestic fans to access and enjoy dubbed high-quality anime content legally, and as a content partner for Hulu and Hulu Plus, the Neon Alley brand makes a big stride to fulfill this objective and expand our audience substantially across the most widely used digital platforms and devices,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “Viewers will have more free ways than ever to access and watch their favorite shows, and we look forward to fans joining us for a new era of anime enjoyment!”

Additional information on Neon Alley is available at: www.NeonAlley.com.

For more information on anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.