Asia Asian versions of Animax, featuring its programming within separate networks and feeds in their respective regions and languages, were rolled out beginning in 2004. The first one was launched in
Taiwan and the
Philippines on January 1, 2004, and in
Hong Kong on January 12, 2004. A week later, Animax launched in
Southeast Asia on January 19, 2004, featuring its programming within feeds in
English audio, as well as
Japanese audio, with English subtitling, and other languages in the region, becoming the company's first English-language network. On July 5, 2004,
Animax India was launched across
India and neighboring countries featuring its programming in English. On April 29, 2006, Animax started its operations in South Korea, broadcasting separately from Seoul. Animax Asia aired their first ever
simulcast,
Tears to Tiara, on the same time as the Japanese broadcast. They would also premiere
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood series, within the same week as Japan. In January 2020, Sony sold the South Korean and Southeast Asian Animax channels to former
Sony Pictures Television executives Andy Kaplan and George Chien, who have since formed KC Global Media. Animax ceased transmissions in
Laos, 16 March 2021. One year later, Astro shut the channel down on 1 January 2022 in
Malaysia.
Latin America Animax was launched in
Latin America on July 31, 2005, replacing
Locomotion after Sony's purchase from
Hearst Corporation and
Corus Entertainment, in January 2005. Animax Latin America would rebrand in August 2007, coinciding with the premiere of a new adult-oriented programming block named
Lollipop. Likewise, on March 18, 2008, it was announced that the mobile service Animax Mobile, available on Japan and Australia, was to be launched as well in Mexico and eventually in other Latin American countries. Animax Latin America would eventually incorporate live-action programming and was later relaunched as
Sony Spin on May 1, 2011, with anime programming retained until March 2012. Sony Spin would be discontinued on July 1, 2014, and replaced with a local version of
Lifetime.
North America Animax has sponsored several anime-based events across
North America, including hosting an anime festival, in association with other anime distributive enterprises such as
Bandai Entertainment and
Viz Media, across Sony's
San Francisco-based entertainment shopping complex
Metreon in October 2001, during which it aired numerous of its anime titles across the centre, including special
Gundam,
The Making of Metropolis, and
Love Hina screenings. The noted international business newspaper
Financial Times, reported, in September 2004, of Sony planning and being "keen" to launch Animax across the United States and North America, after Sony had signed an agreement with the largest
cable company in the United States,
Comcast, with whom it had co-partnered in a US$4.8 billion acquisition of legendary
Hollywood studio
MGM, to bring at least three of Sony's television networks across the region. On June 13, 2007, Sony Pictures Television International officially announced that Animax would be launching its mobile television service, Animax Mobile, in
Canada from July 2007, on
Bell Digital's mobile phone service. This was Animax Mobile's third major expansion, after initially launching the mobile television service in Japan from April 2007 and
Australia from June 12, 2007. On January 17, 2012, the streaming service
Crackle, added Animax to their lineup for the North America region, marking the network's first launch in the United States. Its programming has included for the first time several of Animax's English language dubs, including that of shows that had yet been adapted into English and had only aired in
Southeast Asia and
South Asia prior, such as
Nodame Cantabile,
Yōkai Ningen Bem and several others. By the end of March 2013, the Animax branding was dropped.
Europe In April 2007, Animax launched across several countries in
Europe, including
Hungary,
Romania, the
Czech Republic,
Slovakia, with Sony announcing plans to launch in the
United Kingdom,
Germany,
Italy,
Spain,
Portugal,
France,
Poland (put on hiatus) and other major countries in the continent, with discussions at an advanced stage. The launch marked Animax's first major expansion into Europe.
United Kingdom In October 2007, further details emerged on Animax's launch details in the United Kingdom, with Sony Pictures Television International senior-vice president of international networks Ross Hair being quoted by Brand Republic's
Media Week as stating that Sony was preparing to launch Animax in the United Kingdom initially as a
video on demand service alongside other Sony television networks, with Sony also looking at launching Animax across the free
digital television service Freeview subject to new frequencies and slot being available. As of April 2011, one of Sony's 3 channels that they were planning to launch in the UK since 2007,
Sony Entertainment Television, is now available there on
Sky following Sony's acquisition of channel slots 157 and 190, which were previously owned by
Film 24 and
Open Access 3, respectively, not only making it now possible that Sony can launch Animax in the UK but also marking
Sony Pictures Television's entry into both the
British and
Irish markets. On October 15, 2013, Sony Pictures Television announced it will launch a UK version of Animax as a SVOD service. SPT also announced a multi-year volume deal with Viz Media to secure exclusive content for the service. The SVOD service launched online on October 24, 2013, with three simulcast series and over twenty archive series including many titles which originally debuted on Kaze's Anime On Demand service. Some content has also appeared on
Sony Movie Channel's Late Night Anime block, with the channel's website referencing Animax. Starting from March 2014, the Late Night Anime block has since been rebranded to Animax. An app for
PlayStation 4 was released in October 2014. On March 5, 2015,
Scuzz launched
Animax Movie Nights, a weekly block that aired anime movies on Thursday nights for the next month. On October 15, 2018, the service closed down, with subscribers being directed to
Funimation's streaming service.
Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia In September 2006,
Sony Pictures Television International bought A+ (Anime+) television channel and rebranded it as Animax in July 2007 The channel aired from 8 pm to 2 am on same frequency as
Minimax and broadcast anime in Japanese with Romanian subtitles and also with Romanian dubbing in
Romania, with Hungarian dubbing in
Hungary and with Czech dubbing for the most of them in the
Czech Republic and
Slovakia. The full channel was subsequently launched on April 12, 2008, on the
Movistar TV and
Digital+ platforms in Spain and
Meo and Clix in Portugal. In 2013, the Spanish feed rebranded and eliminated all of its western programming in favor for anime, although the programming consisted on continuous reruns of four anime, later reduced to two. On December 31, 2013, the Spanish feed was also removed due to its low ratings.
Italy Animax in Italy began as a nighttime 1-hour programming block on sister channel
AXN Italy on January 12, 2008, indicating that it will eventually launch as a 24/7 channel. The programs that aired on the block were
Planetes,
The Vision of Escaflowne,
.hack//SIGN, and
Noein. The block hasn't aired since 2009, likely to avoid competition with
MTV, who also aired anime and was more widely available.
Germany On May 14, 2007, Sony announced Animax would be launching in
Germany from early June 2007, becoming the country's first ever television network solely dedicated to anime programming. Animax launched in the country from June 5, 2007, on Unity Media's digital subscription television service in the regions of
North Rhine-Westphalia,
Hesse and other regions. Among the first anime series premiering on Animax Germany were
.hack//Sign,
Dragon Ball,
Earth Girl Arjuna,
Eureka Seven,
Gundam SEED,
Oh My Goddess!,
One Piece,
Record of Lodoss War,
School Rumble,
The Candidate for Goddess,
X and numerous others. The channel later launched into Austria and Switzerland. Animax closed on July 7, 2016, but would continue as a VOD service in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, before it was replaced by
Crunchyroll on September 30, 2022.
Poland There were plans to launch the Polish version of the channel on January 1, 2008 but they never materialised, most likely due to financial issues.
Australia Animax launched as a two-hour programming block on the
Sci Fi Channel Australia (which was co-owned by Animax's parent
Sony Pictures Entertainment) from November 5, 2008, playing on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. It launched with the series
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex,
Cowboy Bebop,
Black Lagoon and
Blood+. This was Animax's latest English-language venture, following their networks in Southeast Asia, South Asia and South Africa. As of 2010, the block no longer airs. Animax programming has also been available since June 12, 2007, through its mobile television service, Animax Mobile, available on
3 mobile's 3G network. Its initial programming on launch consisted of four full-length anime series,
Blood+,
R.O.D the TV,
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and
Last Exile. On 31 October 2010, Animax was removed from DSTV, due to a lack of viewers. The channel had engaged in
channel drift with the introduction of reality shows to its line-up. It would be replaced by in February 2011 with Sony MAX.
South Africa Animax broadcast on
DStv from November 3, 2007, until October 31, 2010. It featured English language programming. It had been lauded by publications such as
The Times for having singularly spread awareness about anime than any other platform, and celebrated its first year of broadcasts in South Africa in November 2008. == Other ventures ==