Indonesian media company Gramedia and Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa announced the formation of a joint venture company in Indonesia on Friday, 5 January 2024. The two companies signed an agreement on the creation of PT Phoenix Gramedia Indonesia, which aims to distribute quality works in the ACG (anime, comics, & games) business, as well as to develop e-commerce and digital book platforms.
Gramedia CEO Priyo Utomo expressed his confidence in forming a partnership with Kadokawa, as Japan’s largest publisher with decades of experience. Priyo also took the time to weigh in his opinion on whether the publishing business can thrive in the digital age.
“I’m sure that many are skeptical on whether the publishing industry will continue to survive. This collaboration seeks to answer that question,” he said in Friday’s press conference.
Meanwhile, Kadokawa CEO Takeshi Natsuno is optimistic that the cooperation will yield positive results.
“Gramedia is a large company with a long history. On top of that, Indonesia has a high demand for our releases as well,” Natsuno said.
Natsuno stated that Indonesian demand for comics, anime, and movies remains high, with many movies released being adapted from books published by Kadokawa. With this joint venture, the hope is that works published in Indonesia would also have a chance to be known in Japan as well.
Gramedia General Manager Adi Ekatama also stated their aim to include previously published books on the digital platform that will be co-developed between Gramedia and Kadokawa.
“This joint venture will create a new digital platform for books, including e-commerce and a new e-book platform. Indonesian books published by Gramedia until now will be included in the platform,” Adi said.
PT Gramedia Media Asri is Indonesia’s largest publisher and operates the largest bookstore network in the country. It is a part of Kompas Gramedia Group, one of Indonesia’s largest media conglomerates. Kompas Gramedia also owns the two largest manga publishers in Indonesia, Elex Media Komputindo and m&c!.
Kadokawa Corporation is one of Japan’s largest media conglomerates, comprised of businesses ranging from publishing, anime, games, and much more with a focus on IP creation through global media mix strategies.
PT refers to “Perseroan Terbatas”, an Indonesian legal entity type similar to the American LLC.
The Indonesian Anime Times
