Animax (Asian TV channel)

Animax is the pay television channel in Asia owned by KC Global Media Asia which broadcasts Japanese language anime and Simulcast anime, anime programming through English-language feeds in Southeast Asia (formerly including Brunei), South Asia and East Asia. It is the first television channel in Asia dedicated to anime, and was initially launched in Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia in January 2004,[1]

Animax
CountrySingapore
Broadcast area
  • Asia (excluding Brunei)
NetworkKC Global Media Asia
HeadquartersNumber 10, Changi Business Park Central 2 #03-01, Hansapoint @ Changi Business Park, Changi, Singapore
Programming
Language(s)Japanese
English
Indonesian
Malay
Mandarin
Thai
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerSony Pictures Entertainment (2004–2020)
KC Global Media Asia
Sister channelsAXN
ONE
GEM
History
Launched11 January 2004 (11 January 2004)
1 April 2020 (1 April 2020) (Vietnam, relaunch)
1 October 2021 (2021-10-01) (Unifi TV feed, Malaysia, relaunch)
Closed5 July 2013 (5 July 2013) (Vietnam, at Sony Pictures)
16 March 2021 (16 March 2021) (Laos)
1 January 2022 (1 January 2022) (Brunei and Astro Malaysia)
Links
Websitewww.animax-asia.com
Availability
Streaming media
Mediacorp (Singapore)meWATCH
PCCW (Hongkong)Now Player
FPT Telecom (Vietnam)FPT Play
MyTV (Vietnam)MyTV
JioTV (India)JioTV

Animax cooperate the distributors to acquire content popular anime series such as Muse Communication, Medialink, Mighty Media, Odex, Crunchyroll and more.

The channel was formerly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, but was sold to KC Global Media on January 1, 2020.[2]

History

On December 17, 2015, Animax Asia announced that it will begin broadcasting in high definition (HD), with high definition channel will be a simulcast with its standard definition (SD) channel, carrying the same content.[3]

Hong Kong

Animax first launched in Hong Kong on 11 January 2004. It broadcasts a variety of anime programming, from old to modern television series. Animax also airs anime series that premiered in Hong Kong prior to their release in Southeast Asian networks, some of them are Death Note, Blood+, Trinity Blood and Mushishi. After the TV premiere of Gurren Lagann, Animax's TV ratings recorded a huge increase and moved 80% more TRP than its closest competitor, Cartoon Network Asia.[4][5]

Southeast Asia

A week after its launch in Hong Kong, Animax was launched in Southeast Asia on 19 January 2004, initially featuring its anime programming exclusively in the original Japanese audio with English subtitling, becoming the company's first English language network.[6] It also later incorporated an English audio dub feed.[6]

Programming blocks seen include "Ani-Chan", which is aired on weekdays at 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm (featuring shows such as Naruto, Danball Senki (a.k.a. Little Battlers eXperience) and Tsubasa Chronicle); "Animania", which is aired on weekdays from 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm (featuring the Dragon Ball franchise and Law of Ueki); "Mega Zone", its prime time programming block is aired on weekdays from 7:00 pm; and its weekend programming block aired every Sunday at 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm.[7]

On July 5, 2013, Animax was forced to close down in Vietnam due to government content restrictions,[8] but after 7 years, on 1 April 2020, it was relaunched on VTVCab.[9]

Malaysia

Astro had been broadcasting the channel since 31 August 2006. The channel ceased transmission on January 1, 2022; however selected anime series broadcast by Animax is still made available on Astro's Video-on-Demand platform and Astro GO.[10]

Unifi TV has rebroadcast Animax since 1 June 2017 along with Sony Channel.[11][12] They initially ceased its transmission of the channel on 1 July 2020, but would resume on 1 October 2021 along with introduction of AXN & GEM, two other channels owned by KC Global Media Asia.[13][14]

See also

References
  1. Sony Pictures Entertainment to Launch Animax Asia, Press Release, SPE, 29 October 2003, Anime News Network.
  2. Littleton, Cynthia (January 7, 2020). "Sony Pictures Sells Asia Channels to Former Executives Andy Kaplan and George Chien (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  3. "Animax Asia Launches HD Broadcast on Thursday". Anime News Network. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  4. "Animax tops ratings among local youths". Marketing Interactive. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  5. "Animax – Youth Channel of Choice in Hong Kong and Taiwan". Sony Pictures Television International. Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
  6. "About | Animax Asia". Sony Pictures Television International. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  7. "Animax Asia". Retrieved 2007-10-20.
  8. "Anncouning of the closure of Animax in Vietnam(Vietnamese languages)". VTVCab. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  9. "For the first time,all the anime series from Japan will broadcasting in VTVCab(Vietnamese languages)". VTVCab. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  10. "Astro to end Animax channel". 23 December 2021.
  11. "Cease transmission of Animax HD channel". 17 June 2020.
  12. "TM HyppTV".
  13. "#Showbiz: New channels, streaming platforms on Unifi TV in Oct | New Straits Times". 20 September 2021.
  14. "Newsroom UNIFI UPS ITS CONVERGENCE GAME WITH NEW CONTENT OFFERINGS".
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