Media Do, Japan’s largest e-book distributor, reported net profit surged 155% to ¥1.33 billion ($8.8 million) for the six months through September, driven primarily by the sale of its anime database website MyAnimeList.
The Tokyo-based company sold MyAnimeList to Web3 firm Gaudiy in March, recording an extraordinary gain that artificially inflated bottom-line results. Revenue climbed a more modest 5.5% to ¥53.9 billion ($356.7 million), while operating profit increased 28% to ¥1.40 billion ($9.3 million).
The company attributed operating gains to its core e-book distribution business, which benefited from a new distribution partnership with MechaComic, and cost reductions at Nippon Bungeisha, a publishing subsidiary MediaDo acquired in 2021. The operational improvements suggest management is extracting efficiencies from prior acquisitions after years of aggressive expansion.
For the full fiscal year ending February 2026, Media Do projects revenue of ¥106 billion ($702 million), up 4.0%, and net profit of ¥2.0 billion ($13.2 million), up 47%. The company’s first-half results represent 66% of its annual net profit target, indicating the MyAnimeList sale provided most of the expected yearly gain. Without the one-time boost, profit growth would have been significantly more subdued.
