NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan

Pioneer Corporation founded the LaserDisc Corporation (レーザーディスク株式会社, RēzāDisuku Kabushiki-gaisha) in March 1981 to produce LaserDisc players in Japan.[1] The LaserDisc Corporation changed its name to Pioneer LDC, Inc. (パイオニア エル・ディー・シー株式会社, Paionia Eru Dī Shī Kabushiki-gaisha) in 1989 as part of an attempt to branch off into the anime, film, and music industries.[1] The first anime title they released was Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki in 1992.[1]

Former logo for Geneon Entertainment from October 2003 to February 1, 2009

On July 21, 2003, the company was acquired by Japanese advertising and marketing company firm Dentsu and renamed to Geneon Entertainment Inc. (ジェネオン エンタテインメント株式会社, Jeneon Entateinmento Kabushiki-gaisha), while its North American division, Pioneer Entertainment, was renamed Geneon USA.[2][3] Geneon is a portmanteau of the English words, generate and eon.

Logo of Geneon Universal Entertainment Japan, featuring the Universal Pictures logo (used from 1996 to 2011), used from 2009 to 2013

On November 12, 2008, Dentsu announced that it was selling 80.1% of its ownership in the company to NBC Universal's Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE), who planned to merge the company with its Universal Pictures Japan division—which had no longer theatrically distributed Universal Pictures films in Japan, having delegated its theatrical distribution tasks to Toho subsidiary Toho-Towa since the dissolution of United International Pictures Japan in 2007—to form a new company.[4][5] The merger later closed, with the new company known as Geneon Universal Entertainment Japan, LLC. (ジェネオン・ユニバーサル・エンターテイメントジャパン合同会社, Jeneon Yunibāsaru Entāteimento Japan Gōdō-kaisha).[6] On December 9, 2013, the company once again changed its name to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan LLC.[7]

Universal Pictures logo of NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, used alongside the wordmark

On February 17, 2013, they made a partnership with Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to distribute their anime titles directly in Australia and New Zealand.[8]

On January 1, 2016, Paramount Japan was purchased by NBCUniversal and dissolved shortly afterwards.[9] This was due to Paramount Pictures establishing a joint-venture with Toho-Towa named Towa Pictures Company Limited, which would distribute Paramount's films in Japan.[10]

On July 12, 2017, they announced a partnership with Crunchyroll to co-produce anime with "international appeal".[11]

In an effort to get into the American business, Pioneer established a subsidiary LaserDisc Corporation of America in an effort to consolidate the Pioneer Video and Pioneer Audio units in December 1985, who maintains the Pioneer Artists label, which was initially based near New Jersey, following the introduction of a combined CD/laserdisc player.[12]

In 1988, it moved its headquarters from the original New Jersey office to Long Beach, California, where Pioneer's American headquarters were based at that time.[13] Also that year, the company started out the Pioneer Special Interests label to release educational and informational laserdisc product that can be used either at classrooms or at home.[14]

In 1989, to reflect its change, its North American division was renamed to Pioneer LDCA.[15] A year later the company acquired a 10% stake in the movie studio Carolco Pictures.[16][17][18] Later that year, the company bought out its rights to movies produced by Carolco.[19] In 1991, the company expanded, by launching a line for movies, Pioneer Special Editions, which was devoted to rereleasing classic movies on Laserdisc under license from various studios.[20]

In 1993, Pioneer LDCA, in an effort to boost stronger LaserDisc sales, launched two new labels Pioneer Classics, and Pioneer Animation, the former was devoted to releasing titles with classical music, such as Othello, and the latter will release anime with Japanese and English soundtracks and closed-captioned titles, with Tenchi Muyo! being one of the first anime titles released under the label.[21] Its North American division was later renamed again to Pioneer Entertainment in 1995, in an effort to expand to VHS, karaoke, audio and eventually DVD rights.[1][22]

Viz Media (then known as Viz Video) made a deal with Geneon (then known as Pioneer) to release Viz's properties to DVD, such as Ranma ½ before Viz began producing their own DVDs.[23] Pioneer also worked with Bandai Entertainment before they started to produce their own DVDs.[24] In 2003, after Pioneer was renamed to Geneon, the company was also renamed to Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc.[2][3]

On November 11, 2004, they signed a deal with Toei Animation to distribute some of their titles into the North American market.[25] Launching titles included Air Master, Interlude, and Slam Dunk. However, on September 18, 2006, the deal ended and all of the released titles went out of print.[26] In 2006, they were named "Best Anime Company" by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation.[27] On March 5, 2007, they became the exclusive North American distributor for Bandai Visual USA.[28]

Four months later, it was announced that ADV Films would take over the distribution, marketing, and sales of their properties in the United States, starting October 1, 2007. According to the announcement, they would continue to acquire, license, and produce English subs and dubs of anime for release in North America.[29] However, the deal was canceled in September before it was implemented, with neither company giving details as to why beyond stating they were "unable to reach a mutual agreement."[30][31]

On September 26, 2007, they announced that they would close distribution operations, with titles solicited through November 5 shipped. Titles that were in mid-release or licensed but unreleased were left in limbo.[32] The Bandai Visual USA titles that were being distributed by Geneon were not affected by this closure, though some were delayed while Bandai Visual found a new distributor.[33] Another North American anime company, Funimation, began negotiating with them to distribute some of the company's licensed titles.[34] In July 2008, a formal arrangement was announced and Funimation acquired the rights to "manufacture, sell, and distribute" various Geneon anime and live-action titles.[35][36]

Several of their former titles were re-licensed by other companies, such as Funimation, Sentai Filmworks, Discotek Media, and Nozomi Entertainment.