History, Crime channels air in Asia

The History Channel and a Crime and Investigation channel are coming to Asia.

A deal unveiled on the Croisette late Monday involves A&E Television Networks and Astro All Asia Networks, which will jointly launch and operate these branded niches across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Headquartered in Singapore, AETN All Asia Networks will also have operations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The venture is set to launch History and Crime & Investigation in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, The Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei in the second and third quarters of this year . The channels will launch in Taiwan by the end of the year. The History Channel and Crime & Investigation Network will be fully language-versioned in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai and Chinese.

AETN All Asia Networks also plans to launch the Biography Channel in the region, and to deploy the brands via VOD, mobile, broadband and HD.

AETN senior VP Sean Cohan said at the Mip TV market the region has "a deep commitment to education and a great tradition of story-telling," adding that he believed the channels would have tremendous appeal to viewers throughout the region.

Program schedules for both History and Crime & Investigation will feature local acquisitions and local productions.

The 12-year-old History Channel is available in some 130 countries; Crime & Investigation will feature series like "First 48," "SWAT" and "Cold Case Files."

AETN is a joint venture of the Hearst Corp., ABC and NBC.