Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has announced that its anime (dedicated Japanese animation) channel A+ has been re-branded Animax. SPTI is the international arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and acquired A+, which has some 4 million viewers in Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, last October. The Animax brand is already well established in Asia and Latin America, being received in 36 million homes in 38 countries, and is now also likely to be introduced into Western Europe. According to SPTI, negotiations for the introduction of Animax over mobile and as a VOD service are also at an advanced stage in several countries.
