SATELLITE & CABLE: AXN Asia snaps up Eco-Challenge race

<p>AXN Asia, the regional action/adventure broadcaster set up from </p><p>scratch by Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar International </p><p>Television, has entered its third year of operations on a strong </p><p>note. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It recently won the rights to broadcast Eco-Challenge, which AXN </p><p>managing director Todd Miller described as the flagship product for </p><p>action adventure programming. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Eco-Challenge, the broadcast rights of which was previously held by the </p><p>Discovery Channel, is an expedition race of some 80 teams through an </p><p>uncharted wilderness course in Malaysia over a 10-day period. The teams </p><p>have to call upon all their athletic abilities - running, swimming, </p><p>climbing, biking and scuba diving to name a few - in order to complete </p><p>the course. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Our target audience are viewers who are not just into sports per se, </p><p>they are into action/adventure, adventure sports and extreme sports, so </p><p>having Eco-Challenge in our line-up is very important to us in </p><p>maintaining viewer interest in AXN," Mr Miller told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He added that because this event is so popular around the world, there </p><p>would be unique feeds for different markets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We would have a camera crew following the team from Japan for Japanese </p><p>audiences and we would have the same for the Hong Kong, Singapore and </p><p>Malaysian viewers. What used to be broadcast was a one size fits all </p><p>programme but we know that customisation is the key to building viewer </p><p>loyalty as well as providing greater advertising opportunities," Mr </p><p>Miller said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>AXN is able to broadcast Eco-Challenge after its parent company Columbia </p><p>TriStar recently purchased the international broadcasting rights. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>AXN has four dedicated feeds: Japan, Taiwan, East Asia including Hong </p><p>Kong, and India. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Its target audience range in age from 15 to 45, with a male skew, </p><p>although there is a large percentage of female viewers in the 15 to 24 </p><p>age group. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Miller said, however, that understanding the mindset of the viewers </p><p>was of utmost importance. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"What we have to always remember is that although our viewers come from </p><p>diverse backgrounds, they all have a common mindset. They are all </p><p>20-something in attitude with a strong interest in action/adventure. </p><p>That's the glue that holds AXN together." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>AXN has, therefore, put together programming that attempts to appeal to </p><p>this group. Apart from Eco-Challenge and other similar extreme sports </p><p>shows, AXN also carries action programming: Hollywood blockbusters such </p><p>as Men in Black, Taxi Driver, Dracula and the Hellraiser trilogy and </p><p>series such as Relic Hunter, Pacific Blue and Earth: the Final </p><p>Conflict. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The channel has a wide range of blue chip advertisers including Visa, </p><p>Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald's and Ford. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>