4Kids Entertainment reportedly puts itself up for sale

[Roy Mustang]

The paidContent.org website for digital media news is reporting that the 4Kids Entertainment licensing and broadcasting company has put itself up for sale. According to the website's sources, 4Kids is discussing a "selective bidding process" with a few potential buyers. In the past, 4Kids adapted Pokémon, One Piece, Tokyo Mew Mew, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Sonic X, and other anime titles for the North American market. Its current properties include Yu-Gi-Oh!, Shaman King, and Dinosaur King from Japan, as well as the card-game-based Chaotic franchise from Denmark.

4Kids reported a narrower 1st quarter net loss of US$2.0 million this year, compared to US$6.4 million in the same period last year. During those same periods, its revenue dropped from US$15 million to US$10.5 million, and its market capitalization is currently below US$25 million. It ended its Saturday morning programming block on the Fox television network in December, but still maintains the CW4Kids children's television block on affiliates of The CW network. It laid off 15% of its workforce in December.

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[color="Red"][font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

[pikmintaro]

They are getting what they deserve for what they did to One Piece and so many others.

No I'm just kidding I'm not particularly fond of them but because of them a lot of American's think of One Piece as a "Silly childish age 6 and up Anime"

[CrimsonRyu17]

I wonder what foo is going to buy them.

[goldenspines]

I kind of hope someone else will pick Tokyo Mew Mew up, at least; I rather enjoyed the series.

That is interesting though. Makes me wonder who will buy them if they are for sale.

[ShiroiHikari]

I hate to be mean, but...good riddance.

[Yamamaya]

I also wonder what company will buy them. Good riddance 4kids and Al Kahn!:rant:

[Fish and Chips]

Black market auction time.

[Yamamaya]

Hopefully they don't start up dubbing anime again when some poor bloke buys their company. *Prepares torches and pitchforks just in case.*

[blkmage]

We should all chip in for the auction and then, leveraging the 4Kids brand, license School Days.

[Fish and Chips]

We should all chip in for the auction and then, leveraging the 4Kids brand, license School Days.

This is the best idea.

[Yamamaya]

We should all chip in for the auction and then, leveraging the 4Kids brand, license School Days.

That would be epic and hilarious. Can you imagine the final episode of School Days, with the 4kids logo down at the bottom of the screen?:lol:

[goldenspines]

That would be epic and hilarious. Can you imagine the final episode of School Days, with the 4kids logo down at the bottom of the screen?:lol:

I would hope that we would change the name and the logo if at all possible. XD

[Yamamaya]

Nah, we should leave the logo and name intact just for the lulz.

[~darkelfgirl~]

I have a funny feeling that Disney might buy it xD!

[Danderson]

I have a funny feeling that Disney might buy it xD!

Would that be good news or bad? To be honest, for the sonic x dubs there some surprisingly good (and at times very serious) dubs, but unfortuently not enough to keep it to where u don't feel like u have to watch both dub and sub to get the whole thing.....

[rocklobster]

I am very happy about this. 4Kids deserves everything unlucky that happened to it.

[Roy Mustang]

The licensing and distribution company 4Kids Entertainment has confirmed on Wednesday that it has retained the financial advisor Montgomery & Co. to help evaluate its strategic alternatives. 4Kids' Board of Directors plans to consider options "including, but not limited to, asset sales, alliances with strategic partners, and/or a sale of the Company through a merger or other corporate transaction." 4Kids notes that it may decide to execute none of these options.

This is the first public comment 4Kids has made since the paidContent.org website reported on Tuesday that 4Kids is discussing a "selective bidding process" with a few potential buyers. However, 4Kids adds that it does not plan to comment further on its evaluation process until the process ends or until it decides otherwise. 4Kids' past and current anime licenses have included Pokémon, One Piece, Tokyo Mew Mew, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Sonic X, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Shaman King, and Dinosaur King.

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[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[AngelicTotoro]

Not suprised really, it was bound to happen.
I mean they really ruined Sonic X, and now I have to search all over the internet for a spam free place to watch it subbed...
I don't watch One Piece, but I hear they really messed that one up too.

[Roy Mustang]

Folks, FYI.

4Kids Entertainment doesn't have the licensed of One Piece any more and haven't had it for close to three years now. They cancelled the dubbed version production in December 2006.

Funimation Entertainment pick up the license in April of 2007 and produced a new English dub and also released unedited, bilingual DVD box set. Funimation then began streaming English dubbed episodes as well as subbed episodes on their website, onepieceofficial.com. New episodes were to be streamed an hour after their original airing in Japan, though this has been placed on hold until security issues can be resolved.

[color="red"]
[font="Book Antiqua"]
Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

[KhakiBlueSocks]

[font="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"]I'll buy 'em.

::digs in his pocket and pulls out a dollar bill:: Anyone got any change?

Seriously, what does 4Kids own the rights to anyway that would make it tempting to prospective buyers?[/color][/SIZE][/font]

[Roy Mustang]

[font="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"]I'll buy 'em.

::digs in his pocket and pulls out a dollar bill:: Anyone got any change?

Seriously, what does 4Kids own the rights to anyway that would make it tempting to prospective buyers?[/color][/SIZE][/font]

You can buy their stock for $ 1.85 as of Aug the 10th.


[color="Red"][font="Book Antiqua"]Col. Roy Mustang[/font][/color]

[Blitzkrieg1701]

I wonder how Satan's taking this news. I mean, he paid good money for 4Kids' collective soul back in the '90s. He can't be happy that they're selling his property behind his back.

[Yamamaya]

I wonder how Satan's taking this news. I mean, he paid good money for 4Kids' collective soul back in the '90s. He can't be happy that they're selling his property behind his back.

QFT:lol:

[Elycien]

Yay! No more 4Kidz!
What will happen to Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dinosaur King?
Those are animes I can see every day...
The CITV channel has those on almost 24/7.

4kids hasn't had Pokemon for years, so no worries there. I am curious what will happen to the other two shows, though, even though I'm not particularly a fan.