AXN Sees Subscriber Growth in Central Europe

LONDON, August 12: The
Central and Eastern European feed of AXN, covering Poland, Romania, Hungary.
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, has hit the 12-million household
subscriber mark.

AXN’s growth in the region
has been driven by the success of shows such as CSI, House,
Lost and Californication, as well as expanded carriage in the rapidly
growing markets of Poland and Romania. The channel also launched a dedicated
Bulgarian feed on July 1 that features fully localized programming and advertising
specific to the region.

Sony Pictures Television
International (SPTI) operates three other network brands in the region: AXN
SCI-FI, AXN Crime and Animax. AXN SCI-FI and AXN Crime are each viewed by some
four million households, while Animax is viewed in six million households
across the region.

Ross Hair, the executive
VP of international networks for SPTI, said: “The AXN brand continues to go
from strength to strength with a new high of 12 million subscribers. I’m also
pleased that our Bulgarian viewers who have enjoyed the channel since its
launch in that market now have a dedicated feed with localized content. The
continued growth of AXN and our other channels positions our business as an
entertainment powerhouse across Central Europe.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski