 | |
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | South Asia |
| Network | Animax |
| Headquarters | Mumbai,India |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Japanese English Hindi (2004–2006) |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sony Pictures Networks India |
| History | |
| Launched | 5 July 2004 (2004-7-5)[1] |
| Closed | 18 April 2017 |
| Replaced by | Sony YAY! Animax Asia |
Animax India was an Indian television channel owned bySony Pictures Networks India that launched in 2004. The channel primarily airedanime series and films dubbed in Hindi and, for a period, English, as well as with subtitles. It was the only channel in India to simulcast anime series on the same day as Japan.
On 18 April 2017, Animax ceased broadcasting in India. The channel would be succeeded byAnimax's Asian feed.
Animax began operations acrossIndia and the rest of theIndian subcontinent on 5 July 2004 withIrfan Pathan as a brand ambassador.[2] It was operated and broadcast from Singapore by Animax Asia and distributed by Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd. It was also the first animation channel that targeted the age 15–25 demographic and was the only channel in India to simulcast anime in the same week and on the same day as Japan. Animax India started with 12 hoursHindi feed that targeted young kids and teens ages 7–14 and it had planned to launch Hindi andEnglish language audio tracks.[3]
An Animax-branded Hindi block, "Animax Kool Kidz", was launched onSony Entertainment Television from 5 December 2004. This block featured shows likeAstro Boy,Cyborg 009,Daigunder,Fancy Lala,Princess Comet,Princess Sarah,Princess Tutu,Tales of Little Women andUFO Baby.[4]
From 15 August 2006, Animax entirely shut down its Hindi feed but kept its English one, since it changed its target audience to the ages 15–24 group.[5]
In 2007, the network would begin airing live-action content likeTech Max,Game Max,Animax Press Play,Imagination and Speak Out and movies likeSpider-Man 2,Kung Fu Hustle andHellboy.[6]
On 1 January 2008, Animax South Asia merged with Animax Asia's but had a separate feed for India. Animax became the first channel to simulcastTears to Tiara[7] on April 6, 2009, Animax also aired Korean entertainment shows like Live Power Music, Pretty Boys & Girls and Comedy Boot Camp in Korean audio with English subtitles.
Animax India rebranded its logo along withSingapore on 4 May 2010.[citation needed]
Animax added American reality shows to their list with the premiere ofScare Tactics.[8] Animax also simulcasted the yearlyVideo Game Awards hosted bySpike TV.[9]
With the premiere ofNura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Animax stopped dubbing anime and started airing them in Japanese audio with English subtitles instead.[10] However, Animax continued to dub a few anime shows like the second season ofThe Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.[11] Animax continued to simulcast all the shows aired on AXN, its sister channel. The ShowsGhost Adventures,Chuck andFear Itself were originally aired onAXN India.[12][13][14] In 2012, the channel stopped airing such shows and reverted to its old logo, focusing only on anime. Moreover, all DTH providers in India delisted Animax as the channel couldn't pay carriage fees.[15] Animax made its way back into the DTH networks in 2016 with its addition onTata Sky at LCN 686.[16]
Animax ceased broadcasting in India on 18 April 2017. TheAsian feed would launch on Sony's Indian digital platform,Sony LIV, as a replacement.[17] On 8 May 2020, the Asian feed would cease streaming on Sony LIV as a result of KC Global Media's acquisition of several Asian Sony-owned networks .[18][19]
Three years later, Animax Asia would resume broadcasting on thestreaming platformJioTV on 20 January 2023. Animax, along with sister brandGem, would also begin streaming onPrime Video that same year.[20][21][22][23]
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