Can someone explain the anime airing schedule to me?

I have tried to find information on how anime gets released but have found very little. I would like to learn more about it. I know a company pays for the rights to the anime, they hire voice actors, they record and edit, then they put it on their website. I guess my biggest confusion is how do they get the rights to the anime when it is first released in Japan. Or is that not exactly what they are doing?