Appland, Company Behind .LIVE, to be Part of Japanese Broadcaster MBS

Appland, Inc., home to the .LIVE group which includes Denno Shojo Siro, is now part of Japanese broadcaster MBS.

The acquisition has been announced in a press release (PDF) published by MBS Media Holdings which is also shared by the VTuber group's Twitter account (Japanese):

Established in 2017, Appland will now be part of MBS Innovation Drive, the broadcast holding company's new business creation subsidiary after majority of Appland's outstanding shares are acquired by the MBS group.

As MBS welcomes Appland into its fold, the broadcaster aims to expand its business domain in the content field and acquire a new fanbase. The group also said it will work with Appland to develop attractive and appealing content, in collaboration with other MBS group companies.

This is not the first time a Japanese broadcaster has invested in VTubers:

• TV Asahi runs a program called Gariben Girl V in which Siro is one of the mainstays. The channel has updated its TV program lineup last year to add greater focus in providing educational and entertainment content related to VTubers and the metaverse.
• Nippon TV group's entertainment subsidiary, ClaN Entertainment, has its own community called V-ClaN. ClaN is also the organizer of VILLS, an online concert featuring VTubers not only from Japan but also overseas. Last year, the subsidiary entered into a multi-channel partnership with Nippon TV's existing multi-channel network (MCN).