Nielsen Media Research reported a 7.9 per cent share for the animation channel in its July report, with sister action and adventure channel AXN in second and Disney in third place. Animax attributed its rise largely to Astroboy. Todd Miller, managing director Animax Asia, said: "The wide popularity of anime is no surprise. The genre rates very well in Indonesia and throughout Asia. But the quick ascension to the number one slot among all international channels in less than six months does surprise us.
"We were confident Animax would emerge as the market leader, but surprised at the rapid speed."
Todd said localised language and creative presentation along with the popular Japanese anime programming helped push it to the top of the ratings league. Animax relied largely on PR to generate awareness of its launch in Indonesia.
In Hong Kong and the Philippines, its brand efforts are linked with on-the-ground initiatives, such as recent sponsorship of the Animax Hong Kong Comics Festival.
Animax races to top within half a year of its rollout
Six months after its launch in Indonesia, the Sony Entertainment-owned Animax has grabbed the highest share among international channels on Kabelvision, the country's largest pay-TV platform.