SCI FI HD Gets Japanese Carriage

TOKYO: NBC Universal Global Networks Asia Pacific’s SCI FI HD channel will launch on Japanese DTH platform SkyPerfect next month.

This is the first HD channel from NBC Universal Global Networks Asia Pacific to launch in the region. It follows the rollout of SCI FI in Japan in April 2008; the channel currently reaches more than 2.5 million homes. SCI FI has since expanded to ten other markets in the Asia Pacific.

"Launching SCI FI HD on SkyPerfect is an important move forward for our ongoing international channels expansion strategy," said Roma Khanna, NBC Universal International’s president of global networks and digital initiatives. "HD allows us to deliver the best customer experience to technology savvy audience in Japan. Launching HD channels is a core part of our strategy for rapid expansion as we grow from our current 70 channels to over 90 channels in the next year.”

"We are thrilled to introduce SCI FI HD in Japan," added Raymund Miranda, the Asia Pacific managing director for NBC Universal Global Networks. "Our SCI FI audience is early adopting, highly discerning and strongly loyal consumers of science fiction and it is a natural evolution of the SCI FI brand to offer them such high-quality targeted programming. Out of our four channel brands in the Asia Pacific, including Hallmark Channel, Universal and KidsCo (a joint venture with Cookie Jar Group and Corus Entertainment), SCI FI is the natural choice to be our first brand in the region to launch in HD."