The Sci Fi network has been growing older in its demographic as it now currently stands at an average of around 45 years of age.
In response to lower that total, Sci Fi is getting together with Manga to launch what they're calling Ani-Monday. It will be a two-hour block from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. that will feature anime as shorts, movies or series. Manga is one of the three major distributors of anime in the U.S. and a division of Starz Media.
The deal with Starz is for one year and will compete directly with the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim for young male viewers in the 18- to 34-year-old demo on that night. The channel faces an uphill battle as Adult Swim already has 45 hours a week devoted to the demographic.
“This is part of a whole initiative to target a youth audience and figure out how we start to transform the Sci Fi brand away from just being a TV cable brand and more into a lifestyle brand that can move into other levels,” says Executive VP/GM Dave Howe.
The new programming is set to debut on June 11.
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