HIDIVE Expands MBS Deal, Licenses Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden
AMC Global Media announced on Monday that it will extend and expand the distribution agreement between its subsidiary Sentai Filmworks and Japan's Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) in a new multi-year deal. HIDIVE will simulcast MBS's upcoming multi-year series lineup exclusively in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and other markets outside of Asia. The expanded deal launches with the television anime of Umikaze Minamino's Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden light novel series as the first title. The anime will make its North American premiere at Anime NYC on August 26, ahead of its Japanese debut on October 6 on Tokyo MX at 9:25 p.m. JST, followed by BS NTV and MBS channels. Honoka Inoue stars as the titular Nia Liston. Motoki Nakanishi directs at KONAMI animation, with Haruta Segi as assistant director. Gigaemon Ichikawa handles series scripts, and Naoki Endo composes the music. HIDIVE President John Ledford called the agreement the service's largest content programming deal to date. The two companies first established their distribution partnership in March 2023. Additional titles in the new agreement have not yet been announced.