Alliance Entertainment’s Mill Creek Entertainment Expands Distribution Partnership with Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment, a branch of Alliance Entertainment Holding (Nasdaq: AENT), has announced the extension and expansion of its partnership with Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment. This agreement covers digital and physical rights for a range of ULTRAMAN episodic series and films, including many that have not been available in the US before. The ULTRAMAN franchise, which began in 1966, has over 50 product licenses in the US and a strong global presence. The partnership aims to meet fan demand for more ULTRAMAN content, with new releases starting in July 2024. Since 2019, Mill Creek has successfully released over 50 ULTRAMAN titles, and the renewed partnership will bring a new slate of TV series and feature films in the coming years.
- Extended partnership between Alliance Entertainment (AENT) and Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment.
- Agreement includes previously unavailable ULTRAMAN content for the US market.
- ULTRAMAN has over 50 product licenses in the US and a robust global presence.
- Successful sales record for ULTRAMAN on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital formats since 2019.
- New ULTRAMAN content releases scheduled to begin in July 2024 and continue for years.
- High-quality ULTRAMAN products have been both family-friendly and collectible.
- PR does not mention any specific financial terms or potential returns of the expanded agreement for Alliance Entertainment (AENT).
- There is no clear indication of the market performance or success metrics for the new ULTRAMAN titles.
Insights
Mill Creek Entertainment’s expanded partnership with Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment for the ULTRAMAN franchise indicates a strategic move to bolster revenue streams through a globally recognized brand. ULTRAMAN has a long-standing fan base and a strong historical performance in terms of product sales, particularly in Blu-ray and DVD formats. Given the increasing consumer shift towards digital consumption, the inclusion of digital rights in the agreement highlights Mill Creek's alignment with evolving market demands. The upcoming release of 'Ultraman: Rising' on Netflix further enhances the brand's visibility and could potentially drive increased digital sales and streaming revenues.
For retail investors, this partnership signifies a potential increase in revenue and market penetration for Alliance Entertainment, driven by an established global brand. However, it's important to monitor the actual sales performance post-release to assess the true financial impact.
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From a financial perspective, the extended partnership with Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment offers a diversified revenue stream for Alliance Entertainment. The inclusion of both digital and physical distribution rights allows the company to capitalize on multiple sales channels, mitigating risks associated with market fluctuations in physical media.
The historical success of ULTRAMAN's Blu-ray and DVD sales suggests a strong consumer demand. The ULTRAMAN brand's global appeal and longstanding popularity can translate to sustained sales and potentially higher profit margins, especially with collectible editions like SteelBook®.
In the short-term, this deal may generate immediate revenue boosts from new releases. Long-term, continuous new content could provide steady revenue streams, supporting consistent financial performance and potentially enhancing shareholder value.
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In the media industry, extending partnerships like this reflects strategic positioning to leverage established franchises. ULTRAMAN's enduring legacy and significant fan engagement can lead to robust sales in the highly competitive entertainment market. The move to include previously unavailable content in the US market taps into pent-up demand, aligning with consumer desires for niche, high-quality entertainment offerings.
The upcoming releases on both physical and digital platforms suggest a comprehensive marketing strategy aimed at maximizing reach and engagement. With the shift toward digital consumption, ensuring availability on major platforms such as Netflix can enhance brand visibility and drive new audience acquisition, further solidifying ULTRAMAN's presence in the US market.
For investors, understanding this dual approach—physical and digital—highlights Mill Creek Entertainment’s adaptability and potential for sustained market relevance.
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Global Powerhouse Brand ULTRAMAN Extends Partnership with Mill Creek Entertainment for Continued Success in the US Marketplace
PLANTATION, Fla., June 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mill Creek Entertainment, a division of Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: AENT) (“Alliance Entertainment”, “Company”), a global distributor and wholesaler specializing in music, movies, video games, electronics, arcades, toys, and collectibles, today announced the extension and expansion of its current partnership with Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment, Inc. The agreement includes digital and physical rights for a full slate of episodic series and feature films from the international powerhouse brand, ULTRAMAN, including many not previously available in the US.
ULTRAMAN has captivated fans worldwide since its inception in 1966. Today the brand represents a global franchise with over 50 product licenses in the US, and feature films such as Shin Ultraman (2022)—worldwide box office of
“As stewards of the ULTRAMAN brand, we have received hundreds of fan requests for more movies and shows in recent months," said Jeff Hayne, SVP of Acquisitions for Mill Creek. "This deal allows us to deliver what fans want with new content available to consumers beginning July 2024 and continuing for years to come.”
Mill Creek Entertainment has been in partnership with Tsuburaya since 2019 and boasts a successful slate of over 50 releases to date on Blu-ray™, DVD, SteelBook® and digital.
"We’re tremendously excited to renew and extend our relationship with Mill Creek Entertainment,” said Danny Simon, President of Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment. “Blu-ray and DVD sales for ULTRAMAN have exceeded all expectations, primarily because the high quality of the product makes it both family-friendly and eminently collectible. ULTRAMAN fans old and new will be delighted with what Mill Creek is planning next.”
The expanded partnership will commence with a new ULTRAMAN title for the US marketplace in July of this year and continue with a robust schedule of other new TV series and features in both physical and digital formats slated to follow.
About Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment
Tsuburaya Fields Media & Pictures Entertainment Inc., located in Los Angeles, is active in the production and distribution of ULTRAMAN entertainment content for North America and other markets. Headed by Danny Simon, the new subsidiary established in 2023 will expand the ULTRAMAN North America licensing program into the UK, EU, South America, India and MENA markets thereby solidifying the franchise’s place on the global stage. For more information, visit https://tf-mpe.com/.
About Mill Creek
Mill Creek Entertainment is the home entertainment industry’s leading independent studio for Blu-ray, DVD, and digital distribution. With direct sales pipelines to all primary retail and online partners, Mill Creek Entertainment licenses, produces, markets, and distributes a dynamic array of film and television content to over 30,000 retail stores and thousands of websites reaching millions of customers across North America. Mill Creek Entertainment’s expansive library includes Oscar®-winning theatrical feature films, Emmy®-winning classic and current TV series, original documentary productions and pop-culture favorites that enlighten, educate, and entertain. Mill Creek Entertainment is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
About Alliance Entertainment
Alliance Entertainment (NASDAQ: AENT) is a premier distributor of music, movies, toys, collectibles, and consumer electronics. We offer over 325,000 unique in stock SKU’s, including over 57,300 exclusive compact discs, vinyl LP records, DVDs, Blu-rays, and video games. Complementing our vast media catalog, we also stock a full array of related accessories, toys, and collectibles. With more than thirty-five years of distribution experience, Alliance Entertainment serves customers of every size, providing a robust suite of services to resellers and retailers worldwide. Our efficient processing and essential seller tools noticeably reduce the costs associated with administrating multiple vendor relationships, while helping omni-channel retailers expand their product selection and fulfillment goals. For more information, visit www.aent.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this Press Release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether identified in this Press Release, and on the current expectations of Alliance’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Alliance. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including risks relating to the anticipated growth rates and market opportunities; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the ability of Alliance to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its systems and related services; Alliance’s reliance on a concentration of suppliers for its products and services; increases in Alliance’s costs, disruption of supply, or shortage of products and materials; Alliance’s dependence on a concentration of customers, and failure to add new customers or expand sales to Alliance’s existing customers; increased Alliance inventory and risk of obsolescence; Alliance’s significant amount of indebtedness; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness; our ability to continue as a going concern absent access to sources of liquidity; risks and failure by Alliance to meet the covenant requirements of its revolving credit facility, including a fixed charge coverage ratio; risks that a breach of the revolving credit facility, including Alliance’s recent breach of the covenant requirements, could result in the lender declaring a default and that the full outstanding amount under the revolving credit facility could be immediately due in full, which would have severe adverse consequences for the Company; known or future litigation and regulatory enforcement risks, including the diversion of time and attention and the additional costs and demands on Alliance’s resources; Alliance’s business being adversely affected by increased inflation, higher interest rates and other adverse economic, business, and/or competitive factors; geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations; risk that the COVID-19 pandemic, and local, state, and federal responses to addressing the pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business operations, as well as our financial condition and results of operations; substantial regulations, which are evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by Alliance to comply with these regulations; product liability claims, which could harm Alliance’s financial condition and liquidity if Alliance is not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims; availability of additional capital to support business growth; and the inability of Alliance to develop and maintain effective internal controls.
For investor inquiries, please contact:
MZ Group
Chris Tyson/Larry Holub
(949) 491-8235
AENT@mzgroup.us
FAQ
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