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Sony Pictures Entertainment is to launch an action-oriented entertainment channel in Asia on September 21.

  The 24-hour AXN channel, based in Singapore, will target males aged 12 to 44 and feature action/adventure programming from Hollywood and Asia.

  The channel will broadcast through digital compression, allowing AXN to customise feeds for each market with local dubbing and sub- titles.

   AXN plans to offer the channel with four feeds by early next year covering eight Southeast Asian countries.

  Financial details of the launch were not available.

  William Pfeiffer, senior vice-president of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said the channel would reach millions of home in the region, mainly through huge cable markets in India and Taiwan.

  He said Sony was having discussions with Wharf Cable to carry the channel in Hong Kong, possibly through the cable operator's fibre-optic network before the end of the year.

  Mr Pfeiffer would not predict when the station would reach a break even point, saying this depended largely on the development of cable in the region.

  However, he said the company was keeping its operation lean in terms of staff and planned to avoid some of the mistakes other broadcasters in the region had made.

  'This is a long-term investment and we have been very conservative in our planning, hiring just who we need,' Mr Pfeiffer said.

  'Regional cable operators and advertising agencies have been receptive to the channel, so we are assured of support from advertising revenue.' The channel will draw from the Sony library which has more than 3,500 films.



Sony to launch action channel