iWorld
4k Media Continues To Expand International Streaming Media Partnerships For The Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise
MUMBAI: Adding to its digital distribution dominance, 4K Media Inc., the Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. subsidiary that manages the licensing and marketing of the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand, and its distribution partner Cinedigm have announced that the brand has added a number of SVOD/VOD partners in Europe to its already impressive roster of global digital partnerships.
Among 4K Media’s latest digital media distribution agreements are:
Germany:
236 German-language episodes of the complete series “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” and 155 German-language episodes of the complete series “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX,” in cooperation with the German distribution partner KSM GmbH, have been licensed to:
RTL networks’s German online portal ClipFish
Maxdome, the SVOD platform owned by Prosieben Sat 1. Media
My Video, one of Germany’s most popular online video destinations, also owned by Prosieben Sat 1. Media
Italy:
TIM will be offering its TIMvision’s subscribers all 49 episodes of “Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V” Season 1, the latest series from the franchise.
Multi-Territory Agreements:
Crunchyroll, the U.S. based international online community focused on streaming Asian media with a special emphasis on anime and manga, has expanded its worldwide (outside of Asia) distribution arrangement with 4K Media with the addition of the original, uncut Japanese-language versions of “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” and “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX” series with English subtitles.
4K Media joins leading Hollywood studios in partnering with Tubi TV (www.tubitv.com), the world’s largest and fastest-growing — free and legal — video app on Connected TV devices, Mobile, and the Web. The free, video-on-demand service has licensed 154 original and uncut episodes of “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” with English subtitles, as well as 123 English-language episodes of the series.
In commenting on the digital distribution partnerships, Mark Kirk, 4K Media Senior Vice President, Digital Operations, said: “We’re thrilled to have episodes of the various
Yu-Gi-Oh! series available to fans throughout the world. 4K Media has been embracing digital media platforms as a viable method for distributing content for over a decade and will continue to do so as the numbers of fans accessing the vast Yu-Gi-Oh! library of episodes online and on mobile devices validates that decision.”
This latest round of digital distribution agreements expands 4K Media’s vast number of existing streaming partnerships for the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, including Hulu (US), Netflix (multi-territory), ClaroVideo (Latin America) and TV4 (Sweden), among others.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! animated franchise, with over 700 episodes available in up to 15 local languages, consists of the original “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL” and the newest installment, “Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V,” as well as the highly popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, video games, licensed product and feature films.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
