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Animax is a Canadian English language specialty channel based on the Japanese satellite TV network of the same name. The channel is owned by Corus Entertainment under a brand licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

History[]

Corus Entertainment received a Category B license from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for a television service called "Anime Central" in 2014. The channel, now going under Sony's Animax name, launched on Cogeco and Rogers Cable cable systems throughout Canada in high definition on January 11, 2017.

The channel was added to Shaw Direct, Telus TV, Bell TV, Bell Fibe and Vidéotron in May 2018. Eastlink and Bell Satellite added the channel on March 5, 2020.

In August 2021, the channel applied to the CRTC to have its Canadian content commitment reduced from 49 to 35 per cent of revenues. According to Troy Reeb, Executive Vice President, Broadcast Networks at Corus Entertainment, the library of Canadian-dubbed uncut anime available to Corus is limited enough that the channel has had to rely on "Americanizations" of anime from its sister networks, such as Bakugan: Battle Planet and the original Beyblade, on "not obviously Japanese" programs such as Braceface, and on overscheduling multiple airings of the same animes, to meet its licensing obligations.

Programming[]

Animax primarily serves as a cellar channel for English-dubbed anime programming seen on other Canadian TV channels (mostly other Corus channels). To fulfill Canadian content requirements, most of the English dubs of anime shown (notably those of InuYasha and Death Note) are ones produced in Canada. It also airs some non-anime programming, such as Braceface, Redwall, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, the 1999 Watership Down series and What's with Andy?.

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