The iaTV network, an American television channel featuring Asian pop culture, has arranged an acquisition and partnership deal with Tokyopop, a North American publisher and distributor of manga-oriented entertainment.

The announcement was made jointly on September 19, 2008, by Stu Levy, CEO of Tokyopop, and by Adam Ware, the president of iMedia. That company, itself a part of the multimedia ImaginAsian Entertainment, Inc., includes television (iaTV), radio (iaRadio), and digital (iaLink) media units.

The deal is twofold. First, iaTV's sales team will represent Tokyopop's digital assets, creating ads in video content, as well as mobile advertising and ads in other media. The fact that 70 percent of Tokyopop's monthly page views fall into the tween and teenage demographics is very appealing to iaTV, since this segment of the population is currently regarded as a large source of money for media companies.

And in return, Tokyopop's unique short form animated manga series will add a whole new dimension of animation to television broadcast. Again, Adam Ware's initial interest is the capacity to acquire revenue, as he says this deal will "represent a unique opportunity for iaTV to offer advertisers a fully integrated cross-platform solution to reach the millions of Asian Pop Culture fans in the U.S."

However, the fans themselves will benefit too, as they stream this revenue into the pocketbooks of the two companies. Tokyopop's animated manga, as well as several anime series and some pro wrestling and other sports entertainment, will, as Stu Levy says, continue bridging Eastern and Western cultures: "The Manga Lifestyle is about expressing yourself, whether that be as an extreme pro wrestling fan, a shojo manga fan, action manga, or fantasy manga fan. As Tokyopop brings manga to both the small and big screens, iaTV viewers will be there to witness all the fun!"

The joint press release making this announcement has details of the programs that will be featured, and the broadcast schedule will be available on the iaTV website. You can check this page to learn whether iaTV is available in your area.

Meanwhile, there is also news from the FUNimation digital anime network, run by FUNimation and Olympusat. They announced on August 18 that five new series will premiere on that channel, starting on September 1, 2008. The five series are Mushi-Shi, School Rumble, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, BECK, and Basilisk.

Fans should check the monthly program schedule for times, keeping in mind that FUNimation does what they call a "rewind" on Saturdays and Sundays, so viewers can catch up on episodes they missed during the week. And of course, with the introduction of these five new series, others will be displaced or discontinued, so the schedule will be valuable for that information as well.

Check out the FUNimation Channel website to learn whether your cable company carries it in your area.