BREAKING. Sony Max to replace Animax as the new male-skewing channel from 1 February 2011 on MultiChoice's DStv.

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I can exclusively break the news that a brand-new Sony Max channel targeting young males with a selection of action and reality shows will be replacing Animax on Tuesday, 1 February 2011 on channel 126 on DStv's Premium and DStv Compact.

In October I was first RIGHT HERE to break the news that MultiChoice will give Animax the axe, and now multiple reliable sources locally and abroad have confirmed to me that Animax will be replaced with the channel Sony Max. This new Sony Max general entertainment channel should however not be confused with the Sony Max channel that was launched in November 2008 by Sony Entertainment Television Asia (SET Asia) on channel 457 on DStv's Indian North bouquet as a Bollywood movie and special events channel. That Sony Max channel targets South Asian viewers while this new Sony Max will aim to have a much broader entertainment appeal.

Insider sources tell me this new Sony Max, which will replace Animax on channel 126, will be a newly compiled general entertainment channel although the line-up will still feature some shows like Takeshi's Castle and Kenny vs Spenny that used to be seen on Animax, as well as general entertainment dramas like Nash Bridges. Also on would be shows like Manswers, Scare Tactics and Knockout Sports World. Sony Max in terms of its programming content will further court young males as its target demographic. I'm also told the logo for Sony Max will differ from the red, yellow and black Sony Max logo on channel 457. The South African Advertising Research Foundation (Saarf) has also already updated their viewer questionnaire for late 2010 on which survey participants indicate what channels they watch and changed Animax to Sony Max.

Content provider Sony Pictures Television (SPT) who will be delivering Sony Max to MultiChoice didn't officially want to confirm Sony Max by name as the new channel replacing Animax, but were willing to tell me that ''SPT's new male-skewing, action reality-based channel will launch on MultiChoice's DStv Premium and Compact bouquets on 1 February 2011.''
SPT tells me that Sony Max will have ''an unbeatable line-up of movies, series and not-to-be-missed action reality programming'' and that ''the new channel will offer world class entertainment.''

ALSO READ: MultiChoice getting ready to give Animax the axe.
ALSO READ: MultiChoice confirms the axing of Animax on DStv.