AT&T to launch anime, gaming, sports video service, report says

The partnership of AT&T and the Chernin Group, collectively known as Otter Media, is set to launch a video subscription service offering anime, gaming and sports content, according to a new report.

As we reported earlier this year, Otter Media owns stakes in both Crunchyroll -- one of the leading online destinations for streaming anime content -- and digital media company Fullscreen, putting the company in the perfect position to launch such a venture.

The news was revealed in a report by Variety on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the company's plans. 

And while the new video effort is said to be referred to as "Project X," the report also references trademark and Internet domain name registrations that hint that the venture might launch under the "Vrv" brand name.

According to the report, Project X is being developed by San Francisco-based Ellation, which is led by former YouTube vice president of content Tom Pickett and recently added Michael Aragon, the former head of Sony's Playstation Network content services.

If the report turns out to be accurate, it would add yet another major competitor to the rapidly growing OTT space that has seen players like Amazon and Netflix quickly mount significant challenges to the established broadcast television players.

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