VIZ MEDIA EXPANDS VIZ MANGA DIGITAL PLATFORM TO ANDROID-POWERED SMART PHONES

VIZ Media, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels and anime in North America, announced plans to expand its VIZ Manga digital platform to include Android Smart Phones.

Manga fans running Android 2.2 or higher on their phones will be able to download the free VIZ Manga app from the Google Play Store and read the world’s best manga anywhere they go. VIZ Manga for Android phones debuts today with 80 series, including blockbusters NARUTO, BLEACH, BLACK BIRD, and BLUE EXORCIST, with additional series added every week. The digital anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA will also be available. Content purchased on Android will be synchronized across the entire VIZ Manga digital network, including VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga apps for iOS devices.

“Finally, the world’s most popular manga is available on the world’s most popular mobile operating system,” said Gagan Singh, Executive Vice President for VIZ Media.  “Launching VIZ Manga on Android smart phones will help us make sure even more fans have access to the manga characters and stories they love.”

VIZ Manga’s app for Android phones was developed by VIZ Labs, led by Executive Vice President Gagan Singh. VIZ Labs was founded in April 2012 to expand, enhance and innovate VIZ Media’s digital content distribution.

The VIZ Manga app for Android is the most recent step in an ongoing effort to transform the traditional manga business, making manga more accessible than ever before through a variety of strategic partnerships and digital platforms. The VIZ Manga digital platform was an industry breakthrough, making high quality, legal translations of the world’s most loved manga available at VIZManga.com and the free VIZ Manga apps for iPhone®, iPod® touch, iPad®, and now Android phones. VIZ Media took things even further when it introduced WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, a digital manga anthology making the most popular manga series in the world available in the United States within two weeks of their original Japanese release, faster than ever before in the history of the industry. VIZ Media recently announced plans to launch Neon Alley, a 24-hour programmed channel featuring the world’s best anime. VIZ Media’s anime titles rank among the most popular streaming entertainment series online, thanks to partnerships with Apple, Hulu and Netflix.

Download the free VIZ Manga App for your Android and iOS devices at www.VIZ.com/apps.

To learn more about VIZ Manga, please visit www.vizmanga.com.

For more information on VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.