MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) and Korean satellite TV broadcaster SkyLife will be launching their joint venture channel Animax in Korea on 29 April.
The announcement was made by SPTI international networks president Andy Kaplan and SkyLife CEO Dong-Koo Surh.
Animax in Korea will be a 24-hour local program provider focusing on animation programming that will be carried exclusively on SkyLife's DTH platform, which has a subscriber base of about 1.9 million in Korea.
Unlike other animation channels in Korea, which focus mainly on programming for young children, Animax will air programs for teens and young adults. With various genres from anime producers, Animax will offer a wide variety of programming choices, including comedies, science fiction, action, dramas and thrillers.
God Save Our King!, Monkey Typhoon, The Count of Monte Cristo, Otogi Zoshi, The Adventures of Tweeny Witches and Galaxy Angels, are among the first-run programs airing exclusively on Animax in Korea. Additionally, Animax will air popular local Korean animation programs such as Yorang-Ah and Black Rubber Shoes.
Animax in Korea is part of SPTI's expansion plans for its international network portfolio which now includes over 40 channels around the world.
Animax Korea representative director Marty Hong said, "Animax Korea will be differentiated by a line-up of high quality programs and sophisticated graphic design elements. We will lead a new trend among animation channels and we also hope that by leveraging the distribution network of Sony, we will be able to contribute to the local animation industry."
"Sony Pictures Television International is committed to growing its international networks group, and Korea figures prominently in our plans. We launched our AXN channel in Korea on SkyLife last year and we're thrilled to be working with them again on launching Animax in Korea. We now have Animax channels in Japan, South and Southeast Asia and Latin America, and the channels have been embraced by audiences everywhere. The thirst for quality anime programming is apparent and we'll strive to make sure Animax in Korea offers the best anime shows," said Kaplan.
Surh added, "We are pleased to launch such a global channel as Animax, which will create a buzz in the animation industry. We think that the addition of Animax will add great value in terms of content differentiation of SkyLife and we will continue our efforts to secure strong content in various ways in the future."
