Sentai Filmworks business profile: AMC ownership, HIDIVE, and segment reporting
AMC Networks acquired Sentai in 2022, but the anime business is folded into a much larger domestic streaming and cable portfolio.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Sentai Filmworks is a Houston-based anime licensor and distributor that AMC Networks acquired in January 2022. It operates the HIDIVE subscription streaming service and supplies anime to platforms such as Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. AMC Networks reports Sentai within its Domestic Operations segment, alongside cable networks and streaming services such as AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, and ALLBLK. The company does not disclose Sentai-specific revenue; aggregate paid streaming subscribers across all AMC streaming services were 12.4 million at the end of 2024 and 10.4 million as of June 2025 after a recalculation to direct paid signups.
What Sentai Filmworks is and who owns it
Sentai Filmworks is a U.S. anime content distributor, licensor, and streamer. Before the AMC Networks deal, it was owned in part by Cool Japan Fund, a Japanese public-private investment fund. AMC Networks acquired Sentai Holdings in January 2022, bringing the HIDIVE streaming service, the Sentai Filmworks e-commerce and distribution brand, the cable SVOD Anime Network, and Sentai Studios under its umbrella.
Sentai's executive team, including founder John Ledford, remained in senior roles after the acquisition. The company's catalog includes titles such as Made in Abyss, Akame ga Kill, Food Wars!, Clannad, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, and Parasyte -the maxim-.
How Sentai fits into AMC Networks
AMC Networks manages its business through two operating segments. Domestic Operations consists of five programming networks, streaming services, AMC Studios, and film distribution. International consists of AMC Networks International, a portfolio of channels distributed outside the United States. Sentai and HIDIVE sit inside Domestic Operations, not as a separate reportable segment.
The streaming services within Domestic Operations are AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK, and HIDIVE. AMC+ is a bundle that includes content from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV plus access to Shudder, Sundance Now, and the IFC Films library. HIDIVE is the only service in the portfolio that is explicitly anime-focused.
Streaming subscribers and revenue context
AMC Networks ended 2024 with approximately 12.4 million aggregate paid streaming subscribers across all of its streaming services. In the second quarter of 2025, the company changed its subscriber counting methodology to include only direct, paid signups, which reduced the reported total to 10.4 million. Streaming revenue in Q2 2025 was USD 169 million, up 12% year over year, driven mainly by price increases across the services.
The table below lists the main streaming services AMC Networks operates in its Domestic Operations segment. It shows how HIDIVE is positioned relative to the company's other targeted streaming brands.
AMC Networks streaming services as described in its 2024 10-K and Q2 2025 earnings coverage. Source: AMC Networks SEC filing and Variety.| Service | Primary focus | Segment |
|---|
| AMC+ | Premium bundle of AMC networks and targeted services | Domestic Operations |
| Acorn TV | British and international mysteries and dramas | Domestic Operations |
| Shudder | Horror, thrillers, and supernatural genre | Domestic Operations |
| Sundance Now | Independent dramas, true crime, documentaries | Domestic Operations |
| ALLBLK | Black perspective film and series | Domestic Operations |
| HIDIVE | Anime streaming | Domestic Operations |
What public financials do and do not show
AMC Networks does not break out Sentai Filmworks or HIDIVE revenue, operating income, or subscriber count separately. The anime business is aggregated with the rest of Domestic Operations. For that reason, any 'Sentai revenue' figure that appears outside official AMC filings is an estimate rather than a reported number.
The company does say that HIDIVE offers first-run simulcasts and a library of subtitled and dubbed anime, and that Sentai distributes and curates one of the anime industry's most diverse libraries. The financial impact of those operations, however, is combined with AMC's broader subscription, advertising, and content licensing results.
Scope caveat: Public AMC Networks filings describe Sentai's role and the streaming portfolio, but they do not provide a standalone income statement or balance sheet for Sentai Filmworks. This article therefore reports only the verified consolidated figures AMC discloses.
Strategy and where Sentai fits in anime
AMC Networks describes its strategy as super-serving passionate audiences with targeted streaming services and content depth. HIDIVE fits that model by addressing anime fans specifically, in the same way Shudder addresses horror fans and Acorn TV addresses British drama fans.
Sentai's value to AMC is both distribution and rights ownership. It licenses anime to third-party platforms and operates a direct-to-consumer anime service. That dual role gives AMC a foothold in anime without relying entirely on third-party distribution, but it also means Sentai competes for attention and resources within a portfolio that includes cable networks, film distribution, and several other streaming brands.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Sentai Filmworks?
AMC Networks owns Sentai Filmworks. It acquired Sentai Holdings from Cool Japan Fund in January 2022.
What is HIDIVE?
HIDIVE is an anime-focused subscription streaming service operated by Sentai Filmworks. It offers subtitled and dubbed series, movies, and first-run simulcasts.
Does AMC Networks report Sentai revenue separately?
No. AMC Networks reports Sentai within its Domestic Operations segment. It does not disclose standalone revenue, profit, or subscriber numbers for Sentai or HIDIVE.
What content does Sentai distribute?
Sentai's catalog includes Made in Abyss, Akame ga Kill, Food Wars!, Clannad, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, High School of the Dead, Girls & Panzer, No Game No Life, and Parasyte -the maxim-.