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When is Animax coming out in the United Kingdom?

and secondly animax have said 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.

... but the company is weighing up plans for their introduction into the UK on an on-demand basis.

Ross Hair, senior vice-president of international networks for Sony Pictures Television International, said: "The UK is a very crowded market with lots of niches already well served. But we will bring these channels to the UK first as VoD services."

after animax coming to Hungary, Poland and czechslovakia

Whats held them back isn't because there is a weak anime audience in the UK; there is as our conventions prove every year with increased attendances. It's down to availability of satellite transponder channel slots for our regional footprint. All sats are fully booked. Sony has been looking for at least three channels and weren't going to modulate to us until they did. But it looks like they have been keeping their eye's on some opportunities and have made a purchase of 2 channels on our Sky's EPG which are active sat channels, so there's hope. Stay tuned as they say.

Mohawk52 wrote:

Whats held them back isn't because there is a weak anime audience in the UK; there is as our conventions prove every year with increased attendances. It's down to availability of satellite transponder channel slots for our regional footprint. All sats are fully booked. Sony has been looking for at least three channels and weren't going to modulate to us until they did. But it looks like they have been keeping their eye's on some opportunities and have made a purchase of 2 channels on our Sky's EPG which are active sat channels, so there's hope. Stay tuned as they say.

it's AXN and probably Animax because they did say it's coming to U.K first

johnrulz wrote:

Mohawk52 wrote: Whats held them back isn't because there is a weak anime audience in the UK; there is as our conventions prove every year with increased attendances. It's down to availability of satellite transponder channel slots for our regional footprint. All sats are fully booked. Sony has been looking for at least three channels and weren't going to modulate to us until they did. But it looks like they have been keeping their eye's on some opportunities and have made a purchase of 2 channels on our Sky's EPG which are active sat channels, so there's hope. Stay tuned as they say. it's AXN and probably Animax because they did say it's coming to U.K first

It's still Film24 on the channel ID and when did they say an anime channel would be first? Sony as a large catalogue of live action movies too you know, which was one of the three channels they wanted to start.

it's AXN and probably Animax because they did say it's coming to U.K first

johnrulz wrote:

it's AXN and probably Animax because they did say it's coming to U.K first

The stories cited in Wikipedia never quoted a Sony executive or spokesperson on committing to any of them coming at all at any set date, just on that sequence in the unspecified time that they did come.

You have to, first, read the quotes carefully, because the Japanese are masters as saying "maybe" instead of yes or no, and, second, avoid taking the interpretations of journos or wikipedia contributors of those quotes too seriously.

They did say that that the channels would be coming to the UK as VOD first, and linear after depending on availability of channels, but remember that is a description of plans circa late 2007.

When they said they were in negotiations to come to the UK, there is no guarantee there that the negotiations will succeed. When they said they were weighing their options, there is no guarantee there that they will end up including an AnimaxUK among the options that they actively pursue.

And if they think the anime market is weaker now than they thought in 2007, there's no guarantee that all of these three year old news stories are still relevant today.