U.S.-based Japanese manga and anime distributor Viz Media LLC revealed details of its 24-hour, subscription-based anime channel "Neon Alley" July 13 at the San Diego Comic-Con International convention.
Viz Media said the channel will run on the PlayStation3 game console.
The company first unveiled plans for Neon Alley in late June, saying that the service would start in fall 2012 in the United States and Canada for $6.99 (550 yen) per month.
Viz Media is attempting to expand anime viewership amid a general decline in the number of anime shows being aired in North America.
Currently, 14 titles are slated for the launch lineup, including "Naruto Shippuden," "Tiger and Bunny," "Zetman," "Lagrange--The Flower of Rin-ne," "Vampire Knight" and "Berserk: The Gold Age Arc I--The Egg of the King."
Viz Media also announced it is partnering with leading anime company Aniplex of America Inc. and Tai Seng Entertainment Inc., a U.S.-based Asian film and TV distributor, to provide titles from the two companies. From Aniplex, "Blue Exorcist" will be included in the first lineup.
Viz Media looks set to provide not only titles for which it holds the North American license, but also shows from other companies. The partnership with Tai Seng Entertainment could put Viz Media in a position to offer anime and other content from a number of Asian countries.
In addition to anime, Viz Media said it intends to stream music videos by Japanese artists, indicating its plan for an expanded range of programming for Neon Alley.
The company is also collaborating with North America's leading anime news website, Anime News Network, to provide information through news feeds and to enhance the social networking functions of Neon Alley.
For more information, visit the official websites of Viz Media at (http://www.viz.com/) and Neon Alley at (http://www.neonalley.com/).
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