Pony Canyon#Anime

{{Infobox company

| name = Pony Canyon Inc.

| image = Izumi Garden Annex.jpg

| image_caption = The company's headquarters in Minato, Tokyo

| native_name = 株式会社ポニーキャニオン

| native_name_lang = ja

| logo = Pony Canyon logo.svg

| logo_caption = Logo used since 2016

| logo_size = 100px

| type = Private KK

| genre = Various

| foundation = October 1, 1966
(as Nippon Broadcasting System Services, Inc.)

| founder =

| location = Roppongi

| location_city = Minato, Tokyo

| location_country = Japan

| area_served = Worldwide

| industry = Movies, TV shows, music, video games

| products = CDs, DVDs

| num_employees = 466{{Cite web |url=https://www.ponycanyon.biz/company/outline/#会社概要 |title=会社概要・アクセス・沿革｜企業情報｜ポニーキャニオン - PONY CANYON INC. |access-date=October 3, 2024 }}

| subsid = {{unbulleted list|PCI Music |Pony Canyon Enterprises|Exit Music Publishing Inc.|Pony Canyon Korea}}

| owner =

| parent = Fuji Media Holdings

| homepage = [https://www.ponycanyon.co.jp/ ponycanyon.co.jp]

}}

File:Japanese Pony Canyon head office.jpg

File:PonyCanyon logo.svg

{{Nihongo|Pony Canyon Inc.|株式会社ポニーキャニオン|Kabushiki gaisha Ponī Kyanion}}, also known by the shorthand form {{nihongo|Ponican|ぽにきゃん|Ponikyan}}, is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group.{{cite news |title=Asia, and then the world |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19910131-1.2.59.7.2?qt=fujisankei,%20communications,%20international&q=fujisankei%20communications%20international |work=The Straits Times |date=October 31, 1990}} Pony Canyon is a major leader in the music industry in Japan, with its artists regularly at the top of the Japanese charts. Pony Canyon is also responsible for releasing taped concerts from its artists as well as many anime productions and several film productions.

Pony Canyon is headquartered in Tokyo with offices in Taiwan and South Korea.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100502090542/http://www.ponycanyon.co.kr/ Homepage] Pony Canyon Korea. It employs approximately 360 people. Pony Canyon also owns the recording label Flight Master.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090918201800/http://flightmaster.ponycanyon.co.jp/ Homepage] Flight Master (a Pony Canyon label).

History

On October 1, 1966, Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc. established a new record label division, called as Nippon Broadcasting System Service, Inc., in order to produce and market music from Japanese artists. The division formally changed its name in 1970 to Pony Inc. in order to match the brand names it had been using previously. These were "PONYPak" for 8-track cartridges from 1967, and "PONY" for cassettes from 1968.

On August 1, 1970, another Japanese record label, Canyon Records Inc. was founded. Like Pony Inc., Canyon Records was part of the Fujisankei Communications Group.{{cite magazine|title=Japan's Record Manufacturers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSkEAAAAMBAJ&q=fujisankei+communications+group+1967&pg=PA44|magazine=Billboard Magazine|date=July 22, 1970|page=J-13|access-date=December 2, 2020|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514093524/https://books.google.com/books?id=mSkEAAAAMBAJ&q=fujisankei+communications+group+1967&pg=PA44|url-status=live}} Canyon Records was financially backed at 60% by Pony Inc. and at 40% by Pony's parent company Nippon Broadcasting System.

In 1982, Pony ventured into interactive content by producing personal computer game software under the name "Ponyca". In 1984, the company entered license agreements with major overseas companies MGM/UA Home Video, Vestron Video International, Walt Disney Home Video and BBC Video (the company also entered a license agreement with RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video in 1986), and in 1985, they established offices in New York and London. In 1986, Pony signed licensing agreements with A&M Records and in 1989 with Virgin Records to handle both companies' Japanese CD releases.

On October 21, 1987, Pony Inc. and Canyon Records merged their operations to form Pony Canyon Inc.[https://www.ponycanyon.biz/company/ Company Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205181940/https://company.ponycanyon.co.jp/profile |date=December 5, 2019 }} - Pony Canyon's official site

In 1990, Pony Canyon branched out, and opened five subsidiaries outside Japan, mainly in East Asian countries. It opened its Hong Kong branch first,{{cite news |title=Japan's biggest media group may use S'pore as regional base |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19901213-1.2.60.5?qt=fujisankei,%20communications,%20international&q=fujisankei%20communications%20international |work=The Straits Times |date=December 13, 1990 |quote=A similar outfit was opened in Hongkong earlier this year.}} known as Golden Pony in 1991, created through its merger with Golden Harvest. A Singaporean branch, catering to the South East Asian market, opened later, followed its South Korean branch, Sam Pony through a partnership with Sam Video.

Pony Canyon's subsidiary in Singapore called Skin was managed by Jimmy Wee and signed local English language performers such as Gwailo, Art Fazil, Chris Vadham, The Lizards' Convention, Humpback Oak and Radio Active. Pony Canyon has also had a subsidiary in Taiwan.

Four of five subsidiaries were closed in 1997 due to Asian financial crisis, leaving the Malaysian subsidiary as the only subsidiary to remain in operation.{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rg0EAAAAMBAJ&q=Pony+Canyon&pg=RA1-PA47 | title = Pony Canyon cuts back in Asia | publisher = Billboard magazine | date = 1998-01-17 | access-date = 2011-09-17 | archive-date = May 14, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210514093455/https://books.google.com/books?id=rg0EAAAAMBAJ&q=Pony+Canyon&pg=RA1-PA47 | url-status = live }} However, the Hong Kong and Korean operations were reestablished as a wholly owned subsidiary, although the Korean operation had a 16% stake of local partner. In 2003, the Hong Kong and Taiwan branch of Pony Canyon, both affected by the financial crisis, were acquired by Forward Music. In 2018, Pony Canyon reestablished its branch in Taiwan.

As a video game producer, Pony Canyon brought the Ultima series from Origin Systems and the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons series from Strategic Simulations to Nintendo's Family Computer. Between 1986 and 1990, they produced remakes of the first four Ultima titles for the MSX2 and NES platforms. These remakes differed from the original versions, with rewritten game code and all-new graphics.{{cite web|url=http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/ultima-i-the-first-age-of-darkness-pony-canyon/|title=Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (Pony Canyon Version) - PC - GameSpy|website=uk.pc.gamespy.com|access-date=September 26, 2018|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060851/http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/ultima-i-the-first-age-of-darkness-pony-canyon/|url-status=live}} Pony Canyon's video game library was generally released in North America by FCI. Pony Canyon has not released any video games since Virtual View: Nemoto Harumi for the PlayStation 2 in July 2003.

The company has occasionally been involved in film production. For example, they were a co-production company for the 1996 Indian erotic film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love.{{cite web |title=Kama Sutra: a tale of love |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/12425431 |website=Trove |publisher=National Library of Australia |access-date=3 April 2019 |archive-date=April 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404224710/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/12425431 |url-status=live }}

Following a merger with Nippon Broadcasting System, Fuji Television Network, Inc. became the major shareholder of Pony Canyon in 2006. The following year, Fuji Television made Pony Canyon its wholly owned subsidiary.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2007/biz/news/fuji-tv-ponies-up-for-fusosha-1117962199/|title=Fuji TV ponies up for Fusosha|first=Mark|last=Schilling|date=March 30, 2007|access-date=September 26, 2018|archive-date=August 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814234509/https://variety.com/2007/biz/news/fuji-tv-ponies-up-for-fusosha-1117962199/|url-status=live}} Fuji Television was subsequently renamed Fuji Media Holdings in 2008.{{cite web|url=https://www.fujitv.com/about/corporate_profile/|title=Corporate Profile - FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK, INC.|publisher=www.fujitv.co.jp|access-date=September 26, 2018|archive-date=April 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407050208/https://www.fujitv.com/about/corporate_profile/|url-status=live}} Despite associations with Fuji Television, not all of Pony Canyon's TV show and movie library has been broadcast on Fuji Television. Some of Pony Canyon's non-Fuji TV catalog includes Doraemon movies.

In September 2014, Pony Canyon opened a North American anime distribution label, Ponycan USA, which aims to license their titles for streaming and home video in US and Canada.{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-09-25/pony-canyon-production-company-expands-to-us-market/.79196|title=Pony Canyon Production Company Expands To US Market|work=Anime News Network|date=2014-09-25|access-date=July 9, 2020|archive-date=November 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102141207/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-09-25/pony-canyon-production-company-expands-to-us-market/.79196|url-status=live}} Their home video releases will be distributed exclusively by Right Stuf Inc.{{cite press release|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2015-01-09/right-stuf-inc-announces-exclusive-distribution-deal-with-pony-canyon-inc/.83094|title=Right Stuf Inc. Announces Exclusive Distribution Deal with Pony Canyon Inc.|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2015-01-09|access-date=2015-01-10|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025012856/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2015-01-09/right-stuf-inc-announces-exclusive-distribution-deal-with-pony-canyon-inc/.83094|url-status=live}}