Kuala Lumpur – Animax has received strong viewership ratings in Malaysia from the second half of 2012 through February 2013, culminating in the channel topping ratings of Astro’s popular “Variety Pack” pay-TV channels for the last seven months. According to the network, in 2013, its full day ratings average is five times that of the next best rated channel in the pack. The months of January and February 2013 also saw Animax deliver four times the average full day ratings recorded in the first six months of 2012. Prior to that, Animax’s average full day ratings in the second half of 2012 grew to 2.5 times that of the first half of the year.
“Shakugan no Shana III Final”
The strong viewership comes at a time when the channel is acquiring some of the latest anime titles including K, which was simulcast at the same time as Japan; HunterXHunter and Sket Dance in 2012; as well as Chihayafuru, Hayate the Combat Butler: Heaven is a Place on Earth, and Shakugan no Shana III Final this year. The channel also offers shows with wide fan bases such as Naruto, City Hunter and Azumanga Daioh. In scheduling, Animax introduced “marathon reruns” on weekends to recap all episodes of selected programmes aired daily over the week, in a single stretch which may have contributed to keeping viewers watching the channel for longer durations. Animax has also switched to broadcasting all of its anime programmes in the original Japanese audio track with English subtitling. In the past year, the channel acted on audience’s feedback to provide the desired content in the most preferred language configuration to reap the viewership rewards.
To continue driving viewership, Animax is set to roll out a line-up of popular new and returning anime titles for the rest of this year including Sket Dance 2, Blue Dragon, Naruto Shippuden, Little Busters and HunterXHunter Season 2. Last month, Animax unveiled a new look inspired by the classic channel logo to reflect its focus on anime programming. The new identity package, which extends on-air, online and across marketing collateral, realigns with Animax Japan, which kept the original channel logo. The channel’s annual event, “Animax Carnival”, returns to Kuala Lumpur on March 16 and 17 this year, featuring guest star, Japanese pop singer and ‘Ani-song’ (anime theme songs) diva May’n.
