Andy Kaplan and George Chien, through their newly established company KC Global Media Entertainment, entered an agreement to acquire a 100 percent stake in Sony Pictures Television‘s Southeast Asian and Korean media network businesses.
The brands included in the transaction are AXN, ANIMAX, and Sony One. AXN is a general entertainment channel showcasing top-rated drama series, blockbusters, and original productions. ANIMAX is a 24-hour Japanese anime network distributed in over 10 million homes across 13 territories. Sony One highlights South Korean programming from Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS).
Kaplan (pictured) commented, “We strongly believe in the global channel and content model, which has the potential for tremendous growth. Traditional television continues to offer many opportunities and advantages. Our goal is to fully maximize all of them, building a footprint with these channels and laying the foundation for a beautiful future.”
Chien added, “These popular channel brands were all born in Asia and went on to enjoy great success around the world by providing the best English-language movies and TV shows from Hollywood, Japanese anime, Korean drama, K-Pop, variety and general entertainment – genres that command a healthy share of pay channel revenue in the region. As we look to realize even more value from them, we will remain sensitive to the local tastes and flavors, offering our cable, satellite and telco partners the languages and customization so important to delivering the uniqueness local consumers demand from their content.”
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