Animax Expands German Footprint

LONDON, November 11: Sony
Pictures Television International (SPTI) has secured further distribution for
its anime channel Animax in Germany through an agreement with Kabel Deutschland (KDG).

From
the end of November, Animax will be available on KDG's Kabel Digital Home
package, adding to its present availability on digital cable and satellite
systems like Unitymedia and Premiere Star and over IPTV. The new deal brings
the channel's total number of subscriber households in Germany to more than one
million.

Animax,
which features programs such as Ghost in
the Shell, Final Fantasy: Unlimited
and Gundam Seed, is targeted at the
14-to-29 youth market and airs 24 hours a day with multiple genre programming,
including comedy, action, romance, crime and sci-fi.

Dr.
Guenther Picker, the general manager of SPTI Networks Germany, said: "We
are pleased to further extend Animax throughout Germany via our distribution
agreement with KDG. The channel has gained increased momentum since its launch
last year. Now reaching more than one million households is an important
milestone for us. We will continue to explore further opportunities for Animax
including delivery of the channel across multiple platforms."

Florian
Landgraf, the senior VP of content and product management for cable TV at KDG,
added: "With Animax, we have an attractive new channel for our portfolio,
which is unique for German TV. I'm delighted that we are now able to carry
forward our successful cooperation with SPTI. Animax is the second Sony
Pictures channel to be aired on our platform alongside AXN."

—By
Kristin Brzoznowski