AXN Beyond

World Screen Weekly, June 26, 2008

COUNTRIES: Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore

LAUNCH DATE: January 2008 in the Philippines (Skycable); April 2008 in Hong Kong (NOW Broadband TV); May 2008 in Singapore (StarHub)

OWNERSHIP: Sony Pictures Entertainment—Asia

DESCRIPTION: Targeted at viewers aged 15 to 35, AXN Beyond is a 24-hour network dedicated to “out-of-the-ordinary” content, offering U.S. imports across genres such as sci-fi, suspense, horror, mystery/fantasy, paranormal and supernatural. It is a spin-off of the action and adventure English-language entertainment channel AXN.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AXN ASIA: Yan-Jong Wong

SENIOR VP & GENERAL MANAGER, SPE NETWORKS—ASIA: Ricky Ow

SENIOR VP, CHANNELS MANAGEMENT & FINANCE: Ang Hui Keng

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: AXN Beyond is geared towards “the thrill-seeking individual 15 to 35, with an insatiable appetite for the unconventional and extraordinary,” says Yan-Jong Wong, the executive director of AXN Asia. The new channel, the fourth offering from Sony Pictures Entertainment—Asia, aims to appeal to this target audience with a lineup that highlights genres such as sci-fi, suspense, horror and mystery/fantasy. The roster covers drama series, movies and reality series, consisting of first-run programs and “established hits” from AXN and Animax, Wong says.

Wong notes that AXN Beyond’s current schedule is comprised of mainly acquired shows from the U.S., but has not ruled out “incorporating original productions later on.” Content is acquired from distributors such as Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), Warner Bros. International Television (WBITV) and Disney-ABC International Television (DAIT).

First-run drama series airing in prime time include the fourth season of Lost and the third season of the paranormal-themed Supernatural, which follows the Winchester brothers as they search for their lost father, battling various supernatural threats, and each other as well. Other shows airing in the channel’s prime-time grid are The X-Files, Painkiller Jane and Afterworld.

AXN Beyond’s schedule also features a movie block every Friday from 10 p.m. to midnight that airs titles such as I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Devour and Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within. Off prime time, Wong says that AXN Beyond schedules reruns “to allow viewers to catch up on episodes that they may have missed out [on].”

WHAT’S NEW: Over the coming months, the channel will air new series such as WBITV’s Pushing Daisies, a forensic fairytale that follows a young man who has the ability to touch dead things and bring them back to life, and ends up bringing his childhood sweetheart back from the dead. Other programs rolling out on AXN Beyond include Journeyman, centered on a newspaper reporter who is able to travel through time.

Wong says that more market launches for AXN Beyond are in the pipeline for later this year.

WEBSITE: www.axnbeyond-asia.com