AT-X (TV network)
Japanese anime pay television channel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AT-X, an abbreviation of Anime Theatre X,[a] is a Japanese anime television network owned by AT-X, Inc.[b] AT-X, Inc. was founded on June 26, 2000, as a subsidiary of TV Tokyo Medianet, which is (in turn) owned by TV Tokyo. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo. The AT-X network has been broadcasting anime via satellite, cable, and IPTV since December 24, 1997.
 | |
| Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo |
| Programming | |
| Languages | Japanese English |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | AT-X, Inc. |
| Key people | Keisuke Iwata (president) |
| History | |
| Launched | 24 December 1997 |
| Links | |
| Website | www.at-x.com |
AT-X broadcasts many Comic Gum anime adaptations. Ikki Tousen, Ah My Buddha and Juden Chan were shown on this channel first, before they were rebroadcast on Tokyo MX. Due to its status as a premium channel, AT-X is also known for showing uncensored versions of several anime such as Juden Chan, Ah My Buddha, Girls Bravo, Elfen Lied, Mahoromatic, High School DxD and Redo of Healer, which would normally be censored on free-to-air television because of the large amount of mature content.
Timeline
- December 24, 1997 - AT-X begins broadcasting on DirecTV Channel 270.
- November 30, 1998 - Bandai Chara Net TV (owned by Bandai, which AT-X aired through) closes due to SkyPort, its satellite provider (a subsidiary of Mitsubishi owned Space Communications Corporation, also jointly held by Sony Corporation), shutting down. AT-X moves to the SuperBird C satellite.
- 1999 - Starts airing "Diamond Time", its first self-produced show.
- June 26, 2000 - AT-X Inc. is founded.
- September 30, 2000 - DirecTV ceases Japanese operations, focusing on its core American market instead (its former parent, Hughes Electronics (a General Motors subsidiary), launched their own subscription satellite service of the same name in the United States in 1994).
- October 1, 2000 - AT-X is picked up by Sky PerfecTV! on Channel 729.
- May, 2001 - Figure 17, the first AT-X funded anime, begins airing.
- July 1, 2002 - Sky! PerfecTV 2 begins broadcasting AT-X on Channel 333.
- January 26, 2004 - Launch of "AT-X Shop", their online store.
- July 12, 2005 - Mobile edition of the shop launches.
- April 1, 2009 - Subscription price raises to 1890 yen. 24-hour broadcast schedule starts.
- June, 2009 - TV Tokyo's Keisuke Iwata is appointed president of the company.
- October 1, 2009 - SKY PerfectTV! HD begins broadcasting AT-X HD on Channel 667.
- November 1, 2009 - Hikari TV begins broadcasting AT-X HD on Channel 380.
- January 27, 2010 - Sky PerfecTV! e2 switches from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio while retaining Standard Definition.
- October 1, 2011 - J:COM begins broadcasting AT-X HD on Channel 605.
- October 1, 2012 - The AT-X broadcast configuration is dramatically reorganized.
- December, 2012 - AT-X joins the Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS), in an effort to keep their videos off the Internet.[1]
- February 28, 2013 - Ceased all SD broadcasts, for a full transition to HD broadcasting.[2]
- April 18, 2013 - AT-X airs its first foreign cartoon/non-anime series in Japanese language; My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- November 29, 2013 - Closure of the "AT-X Shop" online store.[3]
- December 24, 2017 - AT-X celebrates 20th anniversary with the new anime programming lineup for 2018.