ITV

Tag: Animax

  • Animax now available on Tata Play Binge

    Animax now available on Tata Play Binge

    Mumbai: Anime fans now have a new destination to access popular Japanese anime content with Tata Play Binge’s latest partnership with Asia’s leading Japanese anime network, Animax. This comes at an opportune time when India’s palette has been growing for anime content, where viewers are not only emerging as a vibrant fan community but are also showcasing increased interest in Japanese culture and cuisine. Tata Play Binge subscribers will now be enjoying anime content at the touch of a button, through this partnership.

    Animax is currently one of the best destination for the best anime content from Japan and features world-class animated content including web series, movies, and much more for viewers to discover and explore. Animax will take viewers on an unparalleled journey into the world of anime with new and popular titles. Additionally, they will get to enjoy fan favorite anime blockbusters like Kuroko’s Basketball, Yashahime: Half Demon Princess, Black Clover, Naruto, Haikyu!! and others. Titles loved by Tweens like Y School Heroes will also be available to reach across different age groups.

    Subscribers also get to explore exclusive titles like Fruits Basket, Rent-a-Girlfriend, Orient, Black Clover, Naruto and numerous others. The platform will bring multiple hours of fresh programming to global anime enthusiasts’ providing access to the most exciting content.  

    Commenting on the new partnership, Tata Play’s chief commercial and content officer, Pallavi Puri, said, “The growing affinity of Indian viewers towards newer content genres, like K-dramas, sports, gaming and others is reassuring, as it opens up many opportunities for content curators like us. With Animax’s support, we are adding another genre to our growing bouquet of content spread – anime. Tata Play Binge viewers will now have a huge selection of popular anime content available to them at one place. With its vast mix of popular OTT apps and a wide range of content offerings, Tata Play Binge ensures that viewers derive maximum value from their subscription.”

    Talking about this partnership, KC Global Media co-founder, CEO and president George Chien, which owns the Animax network said, “We are thrilled to announce another strategic launch in India, working with Tata Play to launch Animax for the legion of passion anime fans. With its broad scope and all-embracing approach to content delivery, Tata Play is an ideal partner for us to expand and connect our worldwide archive of Japanese anime tiles to more anime fans across their platform, while sharing this beloved genre to new viewers as well.”

    Animax will join other popular OTT platforms on Tata Play Binge like Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV+, ZEE5, Fuse+, Hallmark, MX Player, PTC Play, Lionsgate Play, Aha, VROTT, STAGE, Sun NXT, ReelDrama, Chaupal, Namma Flix, Planet Marathi, manoramaMAX, iStream, Tarang Plus, Hungama Play, FanCode, ShemarooMe, Curiosity Stream, EPIC ON, Travelxp, DocuBay, ShortsTV, Playflix, KliKK along with Gaming. Content from all these platforms is available to the viewers of Tata Play Binge through a single subscription and a single user interface.

    Additionally, Netflix can be availed as a combo pack with DTH channels for all Tata Play DTH subscriber whereas Amazon Prime Video content can be accessed as an add-on by all Tata Play Binge subscribers, who also have the DTH connection. Viewers can enjoy all 30 apps on smartphones, large-screen connected devices through LG, Samsung and Android smart TV’s, desktop, laptop, Tablets, Tata Play edition of the Amazon FireTV Stick and www.TataplayBinge.com.
     

  • Is it the end of the road for anime in India?

    Is it the end of the road for anime in India?

    MUMBAI: Back in the 90s, a new legion of toon addicts was created in India with the advent of anime shows such as Pokémon, Dragonball Z and Naruto that were telecast on Cartoon Network. A few years later, the genre hasn’t found the popularity in Indian kids that it has in some other parts of the world.

    The popularity of anime has suffered owing to parental restrictions because of the adult themes in some of the content, relatively low promotions and the lack of merchandising. Long gone are the days when anime fans, or Otaku, went bonkers collecting tazos or duel master cards or even the Pokémon Red Emulators.

    While cartoons and anime are both caricature sketches that are, in turn, animated, the latter has a very distinct style of art using specific visual elements for its characters. A majority of the animes are based on manga comics that were not easily available in India until online shopping companies started selling anime DVDs and manga comics from other parts of the world.

    Sony Pictures Entertainment’s channel Animax was one of the channels that aired Japanese anime content in 1998. Last year, the channel was replaced by Sony Yay, which has a full-fledged focus on local home-grown content. Recently, Turner International India announced that it would pull the plug on its anime offering Toonami from 15 May. This is a clear indication that the genres failed to elicit interest from its young audience. At present, Toonami airs shows from the Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera and the Warner Bros Animation libraries.

    Doraemon, Shinchan and Ninja Hattori, which are still the most popular among kids after Chhota Bheem, started life as manga series and were subsequently adapted as anime shows. These shows are among the flagship shows that the Indian broadcasters showed on television but, as the TV viewing evolved, the focus shifted to local home-grown content. That was the time when Chhota Bheem was born in 2008.

    A media professional said that anime series are still popular among the kids. “Who wouldn’t love watching Pokemon, Dragonball Z. These shows would have worked only if they were promoted well like the shows like Chhota Bheem, Motu Patlu and among others. If these channels push anime content, the kids will love it. It is not the case like kids are not watching these shows that are why they are shutting the channel; in fact, it is because they want to come up with their original content.”

    However, another media expert had a different view. “Japanese content was created during the 70s and 80s and was picked up by the broadcasters because they had to fill the programming slots, so there’s a different approach between Japanese content and original content,” they pointed out.

    In the early years of Indian animation, broadcasters found it suitable to licence shows from other countries for air time. But as the industry picked up, producing and owning IPs became cost-effective. Channels didn’t need to depend on borrowed material like anime. Another aspect is that it is not easy to dub anime content, considering the different East Asian culture. Local shows can be easily modified to the kids’ thinking.

    However, it would be wrong to say that the anime culture isn’t developing in India. Growing fan clubs; online social media groups are providing great platforms to share and gather information; stores are printing anime clothes, cups, gifts and other merchandise for shopping in several areas. Though not in every city, Comic Cons are being organised and promoted as well. Awareness is increasing, but slowly and it seems the teen and adult audiences are more inclined towards it than children.

    It remains to be seen whether Turner comes up with a replacement of Toonami just the way Sony Yay entered the market. The future of Indian home-grown content seems bright, as far as new characters emerging on every kids’ channels is concerned, but it will be interesting to observe whether broadcasters find answers to the conundrum of Japanese anime content in India.

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  • Kids genre grows on TV despite digital onslaught

    Kids genre grows on TV despite digital onslaught

    MUMBAI: There was no dearth of excitement in the kids’ entertainment space in 2017. Despite the digital onslaught, original content producers grew from strength to strength, keeping children enthralled on television. TV viewership grew during the year even as doomsayers predicted that the end of the good old box was nigh.

    Among the major events of the year, Toonz India Media Group struck a deal with ReachMe.TV in the US to enable streaming of Toonz TV through the latter’s mobile web platform. Green Gold Animation signed a deal with Netflix for creating a spinoff of popular character Chhota Bheem for snippets of Mighty Little Bheem.

    Here’s a look at what each channel did this year.

    Disney

    A favourite among young adults, the Disney channel is known for television programming for children through original series, movies and third-party programming. This year witnessed top-level corporate reshuffling. The company promoted Amit Malhotra as the country head for Singapore and Malaysia. Earlier, Malhotra was the general manager for media networks, responsible for businesses across all functions in the media networks in Southeast Asia (SEA). Abhishek Maheshwari was elevated to country head (India).

    There were reports that Doordarshan was in talks with Disney for kiddy content in evening slots. Disney also launched a three-week campaign for merchandise, celebrating the spirit of sisterhood, featuring two young daughters and how the Frozen sisters inspired them in their day-to-day lives.

    Furthermore, Disney’s sister channel—Hungama—came up with Chacha Bhatija who go on a new adventure in the second movie.

    Turner

    Turner India creates and manages the sales, distribution and marketing of entertainment brands in India and South Asia, including CNN International, Cartoon Network, Pogo, Toonami, HBO and WB.

    It turned out to be a fruitful year with great deals and partnerships. Turner India was successful in imparting a larger-than-life feel to its characters through a tie-up with Amaazia, an upcoming amusement park in Surat. The park is owned and operated by Gujarat-based Rajgreen group. Scheduled to open in 2019, the park will serve as a medium for Turner’s kids channel Cartoon Network (CN) to launch new products and conduct ‘meet and greets’ with its animated characters. Out of the four sections in Amaazia, only the theme park is branded by CN. The rest are a water park, family recreational hub, and serviced apartments and retail shopping area.

    Apart from having a chase comedy in the bouquet, Pogo came up with another indigenous slapstick comedy show for its fans. Focussing more on home-grown content, Tik Tak Tail was the chase comedy that it experimented with in September and then came the slapstick show Andy Pirki. It also announced the launch of a brand-new show, Grizzy and the Lemmings. Moreover, Cartoon Network came up with the fifth and sixth parts of Oggy and the Cockroaches.

    Discovery Kids

    The channel announced a deal with IM Incorporated, a London-based content distribution company, to premiere Sunny Bunnies in India. Angry Birds Sing the Blues came up for the first time in Indian television in a series format.

    Nickelodeon

    This year, Nickelodeon came up with the Halo Movement—a new year-round pro-social initiative celebrating kids who are helping and leading others. In terms of viewership, too, the channel has done pretty well for itself. In week 50 of Barc data, the channel was ranked number one with 127600 impressions (000s) sum. Another important event was the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2017, which honoured the best in the world of entertainment across film and television.

    Sony Yay

    On 18 April 2017, Animax Asia was replaced by Sony Yay. While the former focussed on serving young adults, Yay concentrated on children of all ages. Animax was handed over to SonyLiv.

    The channel is building local characters to monetise and launched four original shows Guru AurBhole, Sab Jholmaal Hai, Prince Jai aur DumdaarViru, and Paap-o-Meter and it holds the IP rights for all of them. The channel also associated with ‘animals matter to me’ to make Diwali ‘pawsome.’

    Although 2017 wasn’t an eventful year, there were plenty of nuggets of action with the latest entrant, Sony Yay, throwing its hat into the ring and fighting it out with the existing players in the kids genre. We will have to wait and see how channels gear up to take on the growing trend of digital in 2018 and whether OTT adds significant value for kids.

  • Sony launches global green campaign; India focus on waste disposal

    Sony launches global green campaign; India focus on waste disposal

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television Networks will launch a worldwide campaign across their channels in 177 countries, engaging viewers in environmental issues on 28 September.

     

    The effort, titled ‘Picture This,’ will utilise the channels’ storytelling expertise to engage viewers around environmental issues important to each market. Picture This will then combine these local efforts into a worldwide voice to bring awareness to everyday efforts that can help protect our natural resources.

     

    In India, the Picture This campaign will focus on the issue of waste disposal.

     

    “With the reach of our global networks and the passion of our storytelling, we will both engage the community and energise people to action by picturing a better environment. Collectively we can make noise heard around the world on behalf of issues that are central to everyone’s well-being and do it in an entertaining way,” said Sony Pictures Television (SPT) president, worldwide networks Andy Kaplan.

     

    Multi Screen Media (MSM) CEO NP Singh added, “Picture This is a great initiative taken by Sony Pictures Television Networks to engage our viewers on environmental issues. As people of this planet, we need to embrace all the colours that enliven the surroundings in which we co-exist whilst working towards harmonising nature. At MSM, we will take steps to support this global initiative.”

     

    Picture This will include on-air and online elements, events and viewer participation opportunities. At launch, some of the topics will include: recycling in Russia and Italy; eliminating plastic bag use in Asia; waste disposal in India; saving the rhino in South Africa; urban gardening in Latin America; and deforestation in Romania.

     

    The campaign will be aired across channels like AXN, Sony Channel, Sony One, AXN Black, AXN White, Sony PIX HD, Sony SIX HD, AXN Sci-Fi, AXN Mystery, Animax, Sony Sci-Fi, Sony Movie Channel, Canal Sony, Crackle, SET, Turbo, getTV and CineSony.

  • Sony Pictures Television Asia ups Virginia Lim as VP – content & marketing

    Sony Pictures Television Asia ups Virginia Lim as VP – content & marketing

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Asia has promoted Virginia Lim as vice president – content & marketing.

     

    Lim will continue to report to SPT Networks senior vice president and general manager Hui Keng Ang.

     

    Based in Singapore, Lim will oversee a consolidated Asian and English content portfolio, which includes leading general entertainment channels AXN and One, as well as Animax, Sony Channel, beTV and GEM Asia. Specifically, Lim will be responsible for all programming, including original productions and acquisitions, brand marketing and on-air promotions.

     

    “We have streamlined and strengthened our business operations with a consolidated content group, enabling more effective collaboration internally and externally in this rapidly changing and competitive market enviornment. I know that Virginia’s innovative vision will lead and drive further growth in SPT Networks’ content business in Asia,” said Ang.

     

    Lim joined SPT Networks, Asia in 2008 as director of programming for Animax and became vice president of Asian content in 2012. In this capacity, Lim oversaw the programming, marketing and on air promotions for Korean entertainment channel One as well as Animax and Gem.

     

    Prior to joining SPT Networks, Asia, Lim worked with StarHub for over 10 years.

  • Turner International India appoints Rohit Bhandari as English entertainment head

    Turner International India appoints Rohit Bhandari as English entertainment head

    MUMBAI: Turner International India has roped in Rohit Bhandari as senior director and network head for its English entertainment portfolio that includes HBO and WB in South Asia.

     

    Bhandari will report to Turner senior vice president and managing director for South Asia Siddharth Jain. 

     

    Jain said, “We’re really pleased to have Rohit on board in this key position as we continue to grow our leadership in the English entertainment genre. With his well-established expertise and industry experience, I am confident he will help us build upon our success in the India and South Asia region.”

     

    In this role, Bhandari will be responsible for the growth strategy, planning and execution of all network functions including content acquisition, communications, marketing and brand building. 

     

    Bhandari’s appointment is effective immediately and he will be based at Turner’s office in Mumbai. He has over two decades of experience in television and advertising including overseeing business operations for AXN and Animax in India, as well as advertising sales in both India and Singapore. He previously led the media and entertainment vertical at Sahara India Capsac Limited. 

  • SPE Networks – Asia expands representation in Taiwan

    SPE Networks – Asia expands representation in Taiwan

    MUMBAI: SPE Networks – Asia has inked a deal with Hong-Gi International Co and will provide certain channel services to its Taiwanese local Chinese language movie channel, LS Time Movie.

    According to the deal, SPE Networks – Asia‘s Taiwan-based team will be responsible for LS Time Movie‘s advertising sales, certain technical services, on- and off-air promotions, and communications. 
     
    Said SPE Networks – Asia senior vice president and general manager Ricky Ow, “We are thrilled about the addition of a Chinese movie channel to our advertising portfolio. The inclusion of LS Time Movie will help us build and make available more creative and comprehensive solutions to advertisers and we are excited about the potential of this partnership and the channel‘s blockbuster programming line up for 2011.” 
     
    The 24-hour Chinese-language movie channel, LS Time Movie, adds to SPE Networks – Asia‘s current advertising sales portfolio in Taiwan which includes AXN and Animax. 
     
    Averred Hong-GI International Co General Manager Chen Chuan Ming, “LS Time Movie is a quality channel offering some of the best and latest movies from across Asia, drawn from a great variety of genres. The channel has a wide appeal and there is great potential for it to grow further. Entering into this partnership, we believe that the SPE Networks – Asia team has the capability and expertise to take the LS Time Movie business to the next level.”

  • ‘Around 20-25 per cent of our revenues in the Asian region come from India’ : Ricky Ow – SPE Networks Asia GM

    ‘Around 20-25 per cent of our revenues in the Asian region come from India’ : Ricky Ow – SPE Networks Asia GM

    This has been a busy year for Sony’s international channels AXN and Animax. The task has been to pace up to the market competitiveness while staying sensitive to content that the government views as being “indecent.”

     

    Realising a vacuum in the youth market segment, Animax has repositioned itself by adding live action into its programming mix.

     

    AXN, on the other hand, had to be taken off the airwaves by the government at the start of the year for its potrayal of indecent content. Since then, it has focussed on differentiating itself through original content and raising the bar on acquired shows.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with SPE Networks Asia GM Ricky for a lowdown on the content, revenue and digital plans for the two channels in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    India is transitioning to digitisation. What opportunities does this present for Sony Pictures Television?
    In the long run, the cost of technology will go down. It will help the overall penetration of pay television. For content providers this means that more viewers will have access to their offerings which will allow them to invest more.

     

    Digitisation gives us opportunities to launch more channels across the region. We recently launched three channels including one for women in Singapore on Singtel’s IPTV platform. English entertainment makes sense due to the great economies of scale.

    In terms of revenues, how important is India vis-?-vis the rest of Asia?
    India is a key market driver for us in the region. Around 20-25 per cent of our revenues come from here. India offers room for a lot of growth as it is not yet a mature market.

    Are you seeing growth on the advertising front?
    I would say that this year is better compared to last year. For our key partners, we will look at more branded content which will come through our original productions. On the mobile front, we are talking with a couple of firms for getting on board. We are looking to conceptualise content so that clients can be active participants and not just passive ones.

    The government has been acting against adult content. Was AXN’s late night content modified in any manner in India after the government took action earlier this year?
    We had a block called Hot N Wild which we had taken out long before the ban. We, however, still had shows on that which reflected the edginess of that time block. We air shows that offer the brand promise of action and adventure, but we are not pushing ourselves as being a sexy channel.
    Do you feel that the India should have a watershed hour like what the UK has?
    We follow the law of the land. We only ask for clearer guidelines and for more leeway. A watershed hour means that the regulator believes in the maturity of the people. The regulator believes that people can decide for themselves what is appropriate. Whether or not this happens in India is for the people to decide.

    The English entertainment space in India is getting more competitive. How is AXN improving its programming mix to maintain share?
    Our current template has been working fine for us. From abroad you have driver shows like the CSI franchise. Then we do two to three local productions. We will be doing The Amazing Race 2.

     

    This is a point of differentiation for us. We don’t just produce content for a single market. We produce it so that it can travel across the region. As Indians become more sophisticated in taste, our formula will grow in appeal over the years.

    Have you noticed any changes in viewership patterns in India and Asia over the past year?
    Earlier we used to rely more on movies to drive the channel. Then when movie channels launched, this kind of content started to play a lesser role for us. It was a blessing in disguise for us as it let us concentrate on high quality TV shows.

     

    We are seeing a trend in India where TV serials are getting more viewership than in the past where it was mostly English movies. There will an upward curve for them in the coming two to three years. While most of our viewership is male, the number of women tuning in has also gone up.

    How did the idea of doing a pan Asian version of The Amazing Race come about?
    We have been airing the US version for a number of years. Fans kept writing in, asking how they could participate. Obviously to participate in the American version you need a Green card. So we decided to do an Asian version of the show. We were the first broadcaster to do the show after CBS.

     

    The show is inspirational and we wanted to do a show that would reflect what our viewers aspire to be. This show celebrates the human spirit which is why it connects so well with our viewers. It is not just about a race per se. Luck plays a part as well. The budget for the show will keep growing as we do more editions of it.

     

    What is most interesting is that the most number of entries have come from India. Entry is not just about sending in an SMS or filling up a form. It is about shooting a video of yourself and the partner.
    ‘There is a vacuum that exists in the youth market which Animax is looking to fill. Our aim is to make it grow in popularity by having more diversity in our line up‘

    What were the key challenges and learnings from the first season?
    Getting visas for the contestants is the biggest problem. This is exacerbated by the fact that they do not know which countries they will be visiting. The Indian team needs a visa for every place they visit and this is an uphill task. For the US version, you don’t need a visa for most of the places you visit.

     

    The other learning was that some viewers preferred the Asian version over the US one. The Asian version is competitive but not ruthless. It offers good drama and touching moments. In my view the Asian contestants are more sincere. One team will not try to destroy the other. If one team is down and struggling, then you could find them being given a helping hand by other participants.

    How did you cope with logistics?
    Everyday you have to move from one city to the next. The core production team comprises 70-80 people. They travel with the contestants. When they reach the next destination, there will be another 70-80 people waiting. Sometimes you plan for the race to end at say 3 pm in the afternoon, but some teams take so long they arrive at 3 am. This means that we have to organise lighting. Some of the production members have worked on the US version as well. So they have the experience.

     

    We also work with the local players in each place we visit. The partnership really helps. We also build relationships with the airline. This way we can move equipment a lot quicker.

    What are the key attributes that AXN is looking for in participants?
    Personality is important. They must be outgoing. I remember an Indonesian couple last time around. There was talk about when they would get eliminated but they lasted till almost the last round. For each edition we look for a different relationship between the contestants. For our second edition there will be surprises.

    When does the second season kick off?
    We are looking to do it towards the end of the year. Last time around, it was more Asia focussed. The time contestants will travel outside the region as well. In fact, more than half the show will be outside Asia.

    What are the other pan Asian reality concepts that AXN has in mind this year?
    Our aim is to look at a winning formula and produce a show for a multiple number of markets. Local channels find it difficult to do this due to the comfort level and costs involved. We are doing a local version of the boxing-based reality show The Contender.

     

    The Contender is being done out of Singapore. India, though, does not have a representative in this show. This show is not as big in India as it is in some of the other Asian countries. But we are hopeful that it will grow. In Asia boxing is seen as a form of exercise like Yoga.

     

    Another show we are looking at is called Ultimate Xtreme that we are casting for. This where friends recommend that a person take part in a show without his/her knowledge. It could be that the person has been working hard without a rest and so the boss feels that this might be a good way for the employee to take a break. It will be positioned as the ultimate experience for that person.

    In terms of foreign shows, what is coming up?
    We have a major show called Damages coming up. It was done by SPTI for the US and stars Glenn Close. It is a legal thriller set in the world of New York City high-stakes litigation. The series which provides a view into the true nature of power and success, follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes, the US’ most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator, and her bright, ambitious, protégé Ellen Parsons as they become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting the allegedly corrupt Arthur Frobisher, one of the country’s wealthiest CEOs. As Patty battles with Frobisher and his attorney Ray Fiske, Ellen Parsons will be front and center witnessing just what it takes to win at all costs, as it quickly becomes clear that lives, as well as fortunes, may be at stake.

     

    Last year Sony did a magic show abroad. We are looking to bring it to Asia and India. Acquisition costs have gone up and so we have to be more clever in terms of what we buy.

    Animax recently introduced live action. Is it fair to say that Animax was forced to go this route as Indian viewers feel that animation is for kids?
    That seems to be the perception in the market. That is not true actually. This move was done for Asia as well. Last year we changed our positioning from an anime channel to a youth oriented one.

     

    We needed to add components to make it more rounded. So we have gaming, movies. In some markets there are music shows. At the same time, we are not compromising on the anime content. 70-80 per cent of the content is anime. The response to the repositioning has so far been good.

    A lot of Indian broadcasters are launching youth targetted channels. How confident are you that Animax will be able to stand out from the crowd?
    Some youth targetted genres are struggling like the music ones. We are seeing that MTV has scaled down their operations in Asia. A channel must have content that viewers really want to watch. If you are a music channel it might not be a good idea to have reality shows as that can be had anywhere else.

     

    There is a vacuum that exists in the youth market which Animax is looking to fill. Our aim is to make it grow in popularity by having more diversity in our line up. The net savvy youth are more exposed to anime content than any other TG.

    How has Animax used interactivity and on-ground events to get closer to viewers in India and Asia?
    The Animax Awards have been successful for us. This is a scriptwriting competition. Each country has a winner. The competition then reaches the next stage and competes also with Japan. An Asian panel chooses the wining entry.

     

    I am impressed with the Indian entries as one always feels that Indians are relatively less exposed to animation compared with other Asian countries. We also connect on-air and on the ground through gaming. We were one of the first channels to use gaming as a platform in India. I think that gaming will become big especially in the metros.

    As far as new media is concerned, both Animax and AXN launched mobile offerings recently. How has the response been and how many telecom partners do you have?
    It is a question of finding the right partners to work with who understand and share our vision. It is not just a question of money. Right now the money in this sector is small but with our strategy the future is bright.

     

    AXN offers customised short form versions of shows like The Amazing Race. This you will not find on the channel. Animax will have long form programming. This means that you can catch up on episodes that you have missed on the mobile. It is still a learning phase for us.

     

    What we have learnt so far is that users will use our mobile content more if it is reasonably priced. This means that the content cost and airtime cost package have to be affordable. There is no point in having low priced content if the airtime cost to download the content is high. We have to be smarter in terms of how these two costs are packaged.

  • Animax to premiere two ‘Inu Yasha’ feature films in January

    MUMBAI: Animax, the youth animation channel from SPE Networks in India has outlined its animation programming schedule for the month of January promising to deliver more exciting and entertaining animation series and features.

    The channel will kick off the year with the premiere to two Inu Yasha movies including Inu-Yasha: Sword of an Honourable Ruler on 13 January at 7 pm and Inu-Yasha: Fire on the Mystic Island on 27 January at 7 pm.

    In addition, Animax has also announced its weekly (Monday to Friday) line up of new episodes of Ghost Fighter at 7:30 pm, The Law of Euki at 8 pm, Curious Play at 8:30 pm and Full Metal Alchemist at 9 pm, informs an official release.

     

  • Animax partners Sify for ‘Gaming Challenge 2007’

    Animax partners Sify for ‘Gaming Challenge 2007’

    MUMBAI: Animax, the youth animation channel, in association with Sify Gamedrome, a gaming chain, has announced the first annual “Animax Grand Gaming Challenge 2007”, a gaming tournament to be conducted across 66 cities.

    The event will feature top of the line games like Counter Strike, Fifa, NFS UG2, Defense of The Ancients and Gunz Online and aims to provide a platform to youth, recognizing the need take the passion of gamers to a competitive platform.

    Trophies along with other prizes such as calendars, hiking bags, sippers, posters and DVDs from Animax, while one lucky winner will get a job as an actual game jockey aiding in the development process at Sify Gamedrome.

    Gamers will be able to compete for prizes in several online game categories such as sports, racing, and strategy on-line and first person shooter. Research points to the huge potential of the gaming and animation industry in India. The gaming scenario in India is evolving from a nascent stage to that of a lifestyle hobby.

    Participants can enter the competition by registering at any of the Sify Gamedromes or Sify iways across 66 cities by entering the “password of the day” which will be flashed on air on Animax and can also be accessed on-line or via the short messaging service on 2525. The registration kick off from 10 January 2007, informs an official release.

    Following the preliminary elimination rounds which will end 2 February, the four zonal semi-finals will be conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore beginning 8 February followed by the mega final showdown at the Atria Mall in Mumbai on 28 February.

    Animax country head Sunder Aaron said, “Through the Animax Grand Gaming Challenge, Animax proudly supports a very important and growing activity for the wired generation: gaming. While the core mission of Animax is to entertain youth, we also want to reflect and support the developing interests and passions of India’s Wired Generation. Working with Sify on the AGGC will truly boost the competition as they are the nationwide leader in online gaming.”

    Commenting on the initiative, Sify Ltd. Access Media president Pijush Kanti Das said, “We are delighted to partner with the Animax Grand Gaming Challenge ’07, the largest online gaming tournament across 220 Sify Gamedromes in 66 cities. Our successful association with Animax in the past has encouraged us to back this tournament with aggressive promotional activities across the country. This year, apart from the multiplayer games we have added single player games to the portfolio of the tournament to increase the number of gamers.”