AZN Television (formerly called International Channel) was a cable TV channel which promoted itself as "the network for

Asian America Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

". It was run by

International Networks International Media Distribution (IMD) (formerly International Networks), a division of NBCUniversal, is a leading provider of in-language networks which facilitates the distribution of Asian, European, Middle Eastern and Hispanic channels and Vide ...

, a wholly owned subsidiary of

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

Corporation. The channel's programming targeted the fast-growing, young, affluent, English-speaking Asian-American community. Genres included the most popular Asian films, dramas, documentaries and music as well as a diverse slate of original programming. It competed in certain markets with ImaginAsian Television.

History

The channel was launched as the International Channel in 1990, and was initially owned by a joint venture of

Liberty Media Liberty Media Corporation (commonly referred to as Liberty Media or just Liberty) is an American mass media company controlled by chairman John C. Malone. The company has three divisions, reflecting the company's ownership stakes in Formula One ...

(which had a 90% stake) and JJS II Communications, LLC (which had the remaining 10% stake). In 1996, the two companies founded the International Cable Channels Partnership, Ltd., which oversaw the channel. The channel was sold to Comcast when it purchased its parent company, International Networks (now International Media Distribution) in July 2004. In March 2005, Comcast rebranded and refocused the International Channel to AZN Television, which now focused purely on Asian and Asian-American culture. In late 2005, news of mass layoffs at the network prompted fears that Comcast would shut down AZN. However, the network remained on the air and continued to sponsor the annual

Asian Excellence Awards The Asian Excellence Awards was an annual celebration of the outstanding achievements of Asians and Asian Americans in film, television, music, and the performing arts. The Asian Excellence Awards is the only nationally televised event celebrating ...

, which highlights Asian American achievement in film and television. In January 2008, Comcast announced it would be shutting down AZN and moving the Asian Excellence Awards show to E! The channel went off the air on April 9, 2008 at noon.Comcast Pulls Plug on AZN
''Broadcasting & Cable'', January 28, 2008 The network was shut down as foreign language tiers with international networks, which have their own charges and feature content on networks International Channel struggled to balance onto a 168-hour weekly schedule, became much more popular, cost-effective, and had better quality controls, and more importantly, had programming originated on their own domestic networks.

Programming

Dramas and sitcoms

*''Abarenbou Mama'' (Japanese drama) *''ABC DJ'' (Singaporean comedy) * Akash (Hindi drama) * ''Alejandra'' (Portuguese drama) * ''Babul Ki Duayein Leti Ja'' (Hindi drama) * ''Best Theater'' (Korean drama) * ''Bonds of Blood'' (Cantonese drama) *''Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge'' (Chinese drama) * ''Chandan Ka Paina Resham Ki Dori'' (Hindi drama) * ''Chattan'' (Hindi drama) *'' Coffee Prince'' (Korean drama) *'' Dae Jo Young'' (Korean drama) * ''The Daughter of a Thief'' (Korean drama) *''Dead Men Do Tell Tales'' (Chinese drama) * ''The Dragon's Pearl'' (Thai drama) * ''Dreams of Red Mansions'' (Mandarin drama) * ''Emperor Kang Xi'' (Mandarin drama) * ''Esperanza'' (Tagalog drama) * ''Flames'' (Tagalog drama) * ''Food, Glorious Food'' (Vietnamese drama) * ''Full House'' (Korean drama) * ''Good Morning General'' (Cantonese drama) * ''Happy Flying Dragon'' (Cantonese drama) * ''Happy Flying Dragon III'' (Cantonese drama) * ''Here Comes the God of Wealth'' (Cambodian drama) *''High Kick'' (Korean sitcom) * ''Hong Gil Dong'' (Korean drama) *''Hotelier'' (Korean drama) *''Hwang Jin Yi'' (Korean drama) *'' Iryu 2'' (Japanese drama) *''It started with a kiss'' (Taiwanese drama) *''Ivy Dreams'' (reality) *''

Jewel in the Palace ''Dae Jang Geum'' (; literally "The Great Jang-geum"), also known as ''Jewel in the Palace'', is a 2003 South Korean historical drama television series directed by Lee Byung-hoon. It first aired on MBC from September 15, 2003 to March 23, 2 ...

'' (Korean historical drama) * ''Joyful Family'' (Vietnamese drama) *''King of Hades'' (Chinese folklore drama) *''

Krystala ''Krystala'' is a Philippine fantasy/sci-fi/adventure/soap opera serial (superserye/fantaserye) from the Philippines, where it was produced by and aired on ABS-CBN from October 11, 2004 to April 22, 2005. The show also aired simultaneously on The ...

'' (Filipino Fantasy/Adventure) * ''Last Emperor'' (Mandarin drama) * ''The Legend of Ne Zha'' (Cambodian drama) * ''Legend of Yung Ching II'' (Cantonese drama) *''

Living with Lydia ''Living With Lydia'' ( Chinese: 肥肥一家亲 in Hong Kong, 肥姐驾到 in Singapore) was a Singaporean TV sitcom that aired on MediaCorp Channel 5 from 2001 to 2005. Overview Starring the Chinese-born Hong Kong actress/comedian Lydia Shu ...

'' (Singaporean sitcom) * ''Love Revolution'' (Japanese drama) *''

Love Truly ''Love Truly'' (; lit. ''I Really, Really Like You'') is a 2006 South Korean television series starring Eugene, Lee Min-ki, and Ryu Jin. It aired on MBC from April 8 to August 6, 2006 on Saturdays and Sundays at 19:55 for 34 episodes. The dr ...

'' * ''Mangang'' (Korean drama) *''MARS'' (Taiwanese drama) *''

My Lovely Samsoon ''My Lovely Sam Soon'' (, lit. ''My Name Is Kim Sam-soon'') is a South Korean television series based on the internet novel of the same title by Ji Soo-hyun, which was published on March 9, 2004. Touted as the Korean version of '' Bridget Jones's ...

'' (Korean drama) * ''The Name of Love'' (Korean drama) * ''One Gloomy Day'' (Korean drama) * ''OP-7'' (Swedish drama) * ''Pangako Sa 'Yo'' (Tagalog drama) * ''Popcorn'' (Korean drama) *'' Popcorn Zen'' (short films) * ''Power of Love'' (Japanese drama) * ''Return of the Condor Heroes'' (Vietnamese drama) * ''Riding the Storm'' (Cambodian drama) * ''Righteous Guards II'' (Cantonese drama) * ''Romantic Express'' (Mandarin drama) *''Rooftop Room Cat'' (a.k.a. ''Attic Cat'') (Korean drama) *''Saara Akaash'' (Hindi drama) *''The Seven Swordsmen'' (Chinese drama) *''Legend of Heaven & Earth'' (Taiwanese/Vietnamese Fantasy Drama) *''Someday'' (Korean drama) * ''The Song of Wind'' (Korean drama) *''Stories of the Han Dynasty'' (Chinese drama) * ''The Story of Duk-Yi'' (Korean drama) * ''Sun Wu'' (Vietnamese drama) * ''Sweet Bride'' (Korean drama) * ''Little Fish'' (Chinese Fantasy Drama) * ''Thank You'' (Korean drama) * ''A Wednesday Love Affair'' (Japanese drama) * ''The Wedding Planner'' (Japanese drama) * ''Young Master of Shaolin'' (Vietnamese drama)

News

* '' Al Jazeera Headline News'' (Arabic news) * ''American Muslim Hour'' (Israeli other/English news) * '' Antenna Satellite News'' (Greek news) *''Balitang America with Cara Subijano'' (Filipino-American Newscast) * ''China News from Beijing'' (Mandarin news) * '' Deutsche Welle News'' (German news) *''Fujisankei News'' (Japanese news) * ''Global Report News'' (Vietnamese news) * ''Hodo 2001'' / ''Hodo 2002'' (Japanese news) * ''Insight'' (German news) * ''International Report News'' (Cantonese news) * ''Journal de France 2'' (French news) * ''LBC News'' (Arabic news) * '' News Desk From Seoul'' (Korean news) * ''NHK News'' (Japanese news) * ''Oriental Horizons'' (Mandarin news) * ''Pardres'' (Hindi news) * ''Philippines Tonight'' (Tagalog news) * ''

Polsat News Polsat News is a Polish news channel, launched on 7 June 2008 at 7:00am (UTC+1). Being a part of the Polsat Network, Polsat News is owned by Polsat Group. It is available over Cyfrowy Polsat, nc+ and UPC Poland digital platforms in Poland. It is ...

'' (Informacje, Polish news) * ''Power News'' (Mandarin news) * ''Romanian Voice'' (Romanian news) * ''Russian News from Moscow:

Vremya ''Vremya'' (russian: Вре́мя, lit. "Time") is the main evening newscast in Russia, airing on Channel One Russia (Russian: , Pervy kanal) and previously on Programme One of the Central Television of the USSR (CT USSR, Russian: ). The program ...

'' (Russian news) * ''Russian News: NTV America'' (Russian news) * ''

Télématin ''Télématin'' is a French breakfast television news show, broadcast on France 2 since January 7, 1985. It is broadcast in Metropolitan France weekdays from 6:30 to 9:00 am CET. TV5 broadcast the show in Canada in its 150-minute entirety ...

'' (French news) * ''Telegiornale'' (Italian news) * ''TV Asia News'' (Hindi news) * ''TV4 Daily'' (Dziennik TV4, Polish news) * ''U.N. World Chronicle'' (English news) * ''The Week in Review (Central America)'' (Spanish news) * ''World Report'' (Mandarin news)

Variety/music

*Asap (1999-2002) Variety Music show Philippines * ''Amanat'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Antakshri'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Arabic Variety'' (Arabic variety/music) * ''Asian Variety Show'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Canape'' (French variety/music) * ''Chinese Top 20'' (Mandarin variety/music) * ''

Cinema AZN Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

'' (30 minutes, weekly) * ''Culture Club'' (Korean variety/music) * ''French Feelings'' (French variety/music) *''

Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ ''Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ'' was a Japanese music variety show on Fuji Television hosted by the comedy duo Downtown, which consists of Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. It is a very popular show with comical hosts who like to pick on the ...

'' (Japanese variety/music) * ''Hindi Variety'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Hungary 2001'' / ''Hungary 2002'' (Hungarian variety/music) * ''inDialog'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Inside Britain'' (English variety/music) * ''Italian Variety'' (Italian variety/music) * ''Jerusalem OnLine'' (English variety/music) * ''Joyful Gathering'' (Mandarin variety/music) * ''Kev Koom Siab'' (Hmong variety/music) * ''Khubsoorat'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Korean Music Countdown'' ( Korean popular music) * ''

Kung Faux ''Kung Faux'' is an international action comedy television series and audiovisual art assemblage created by Mic Neumann, an American creator–developer showrunner, conceptual artist and multimedia entrepreneur, who remixes classic kung fu films ...

'' * ''Late Night V'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Mexico de Mis Amores'' (Spanish variety/music) * ''Mix Music Bang'' (music videos) * ''Music Video Heaven'' (Korean variety/music) * ''Pasand Apni Apni'' (Hindi variety/music) *''

Pilipinas, Game KNB? ''Game Ka Na Ba?'', formerly ''Pilipinas Game Ka Na Ba'' (stylized as ''Game KNB?'') is a Philippine game show created by ABS-CBN. The main goal of the game is to win 2 million Philippine pesos, pesos (either 1 million, progressive jackpot, or a ...

'' (Filipino Game Show) *'' popjapan.tv'' (Japanese music videos and interviews from

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

artists) * ''Punjabi Variety'' (Other variety/music) * ''Rang TV (Punjabi)'' (other variety/music) *''Revolution'' (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

and

Japanese pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

music videos) * ''Russian Variety'' (Russian variety/music) * ''Sa Re Ga Ma'' / ''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Search World Best'' (Korean variety/music) * ''Stateside'' (Tagalog variety/music) * ''Super Gourmet Mission'' (Mandarin variety/music/other) * ''Tanin'' (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

variety/music) * ''Tea Time'' (Mandarin variety/music) * ''Unsolved Mystery'' (Korean variety/music) *''Victoria to Uyen Show'' (Vietnamese variety) *'' What's Up Thailand'' (Thai music) * ''Yeh Hai Mere Apne'' (Hindi variety/music) * ''Zee Premiere Show'' (Hindi variety/music)

Anime

Anime shows were broadcast in Japanese with English subtitles, or English dub. *''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS is a Japanese military science fiction mecha anime series produced by Nippon Sunrise, created and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi and featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi' ...

'' *''

Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a Japanese anime adventure television series produced by TMS Entertainment, Dentsu Inc., and Nelvana Limited under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. The story centers on the lives of creatures called Bakugan and the "battle brawlers" ...

'' *''

Black Heaven , also referred to as ''The Legend of Black Heaven'' and ''Kacho-Ōji'', is a Japanese anime television series conceptualized by Hiroki Hayashi and produced by Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer LDC Inc., AIC and A.P.P.P. It is directed by Yasuh ...

'' *'' Black Jack'' *''

Darkside Blues is a manga series by Hideyuki Kikuchi. The story has been adapted into an anime film directed by Yoshimichi Furukawa. The film was originally licensed by Central Park Media and then later licensed by ADV Films. Storyline The story involves ...

'' *'' Deltora Quest'' *'' Descendants of Darkness'' *''

Dragon Ball GT is a 1996–1997 Japanese anime television series based on Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball (manga), ''Dragon Ball'' manga. Produced by Toei Animation, the series premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and ran for 64 episodes from February 1996 to Novem ...

'' *''

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...

'' *'' El-Hazard: The Magnificent World'' *'' El-Hazard: The Alternative World'' *'' Fushigi Yugi'' *''

Hoshin Engi , also known as ''Soul Hunter'', is a Japanese manga series by Ryu Fujisaki. ''Hoshin Engi'' is inspired by the Chinese literary classic ''Investiture of the Gods'', a ''shenmo'' novel. The story involves the Chinese mythology and history ...

'' *''

Kishin Corps , also called ''Alien Defender Geo-Armor: Kishin Corps'', is a series of Japanese light novels written and illustrated by Masaki Yamada. The series was published in 10 volumes between 1990 and 1994. It is a work of alternate history, taking p ...

'' *''Kuma no Putaro'' *''

Last Exile is a Japanese anime television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in '' ...

'' *''

Legend of Himiko is a Japanese media franchise, consisting of an anime television series, a manga series, a novel series, and a PlayStation (console), PlayStation game. All four were released in early 1999. The PlayStation game was created by Hakuhodo an ...

'' *'' L/R: Licensed by Royalty'' *'' Lost Universe'' *''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

'' *''

Patlabor , also known as ''Patlabor'' (a portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor"), is a Japanese science fiction media franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting of manga artist Masami Yūki, director Mamoru Oshii, screenwriter Kazunori It� ...

'' *''

Princess Rouge Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning wiktionary:principal, principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. ...

'' *''

Project A-ko is a 1986 Japanese action comedy science fiction anime film that had several sequels and a spin-off. This film focuses on a happy-go-lucky 16-year-old red-haired, sailor-suited teenage schoolgirl, A-ko Magami, who goes on her magical adventure ...

'' *''

Record of Lodoss War is a franchise of fantasy novels by Ryo Mizuno based on the work he originally created for a world called '' Forcelia'' as a rules-free setting for role-playing games (RPGs).Yasuda, Hitoshi. Afterword. . By Ryo Mizuno. Kadoka ...

'' *''

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a series created by Be-Papas, an artist collective founded by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The primary entries in the series include a 1996 manga written by Chiho Saito, a 1997 anime television series directed by Ikuhara, and ''Adolescence of ...

'' *''

Roujin Z is a 1991 Japanese animated science fiction action thriller film directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo and written by Katsuhiro Otomo. The animation for ''Roujin Z'' was produced by A.P.P.P. in association with other companies including Movic, Sony ...

'' *''

Slayers is a Japanese light novel series written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by Rui Araizumi. The novels have been serialized in ''Dragon Magazine'' since 1989, before being published into individual volumes. They follow t ...

'' *'' Slayers Next'' *'' Slayers Try'' *'' Sol Bianca: The Legacy'' *''

Sonic X is a Japanese anime television series based on Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series. Produced by TMS Entertainment under partnership with Sega and Sonic Team, and directed by Hajime Kamegaki, ''Sonic X'' initially ran for 52 epis ...

'' *''

Space Pirate Mito ''Space Pirate Mito'' (宇宙海賊ミトの大冒険 ''Uchū Kaizoku Mito no Daibōken''), also known as ''Stellar Buster Mito'' in Japanese, is an anime series from 1999. It was produced in two seasons at 13 episodes each. Directed by Takash ...

'' *''

Tai Chi Chasers ''Tai Chi Chasers'' ( ko, 태극천자문, ''Taegeuk Cheonjamun''; ja, 太極千字文, ''Tai Chi Senjimon'', th, ไทชิเชสเซอร์ ''Taichi Chasers'' lit. "1000 Characters of Tai Chi" in Asian territories; also known as '' ...

'' *''

Tenchi Muyo! is a Japanese anime, light novel and manga franchise. The original series began with a six-episode OVA called created by Masaki Kajishima and directed by Hiroki Hayashi, and released in Japan on September 25, 1992. The series was relea ...

'' *''

Tenchi in Tokyo is a Japanese anime television series animated by AIC and aired on TV Tokyo from April 1 to September 23, 1997. It is the third installation of the '' Tenchi Muyo!'' line of series, preceding '' Tenchi Muyo! GXP'' and succeeding '' Tenchi Un ...

'' *''

Tenchi Universe is a Japanese anime television series animated by AIC and produced by Pioneer LDC. It is loosely based on the first six episodes of the ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'' OVA series. The series premiered on April 2, 1995 in Japan and concluded its a ...

'' *''

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is an anime series based on light novel series by Hitoshi Yoshioka, taking the title from its first volume. It was produced by some of Japan's larger studios, including Big West, Tatsunoko Productions, King Records and VAP. '' ...

'' *''

Tsukuyomi -Moon Phase- is a Japanese manga series by Keitarō Arima. The manga was serialized in the monthly manga magazine ''Comic Gum'' from March 2000 to March 27, 2008. The series spanned sixteen manga volumes that were published by Wani Books in Japan. The ma ...

'' * ''

Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were published in 34 ''tankōbon'' volume ...

'' *'' World of Narue'' *''

Wrath of the Ninja Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...

'' *''

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese anime series animated by Studio Gallop based on the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' manga series written by Kazuki Takahashi. It is the second anime adaptation of the manga following the 1998 anime televisi ...

'' *'' Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie''

Other

*''Asia's Best Kept Secret'' (Singaporean, travel) *''

'' (annual) *''Asian Wok'' (Singaporean, cooking) *''

Basta't Kasama Kita ''Basta't Kasama Kita'' (International title: ''As Long As I'm With You'' / ) is a Philippine action drama which was aired on ABS-CBN primetime series from May 26, 2003, to September 10, 2004, replacing ''Bituin''. The series stars Robin Padill ...

'' (Filipino Action/Adventure) * ''Bayani'' (Tagalog children's) * ''My Britain'' (English other) * ''Children's Animation'' (French children's) * ''Cross Talk'' (Mandarin other) * ''Game K N B?'' (Tagalog other) *''Gourmet Moments'' (Singaporean cooking) *''Get Drunk In China'' * ''Gilette World Sports'' (English sports) * ''Groundling Marsh'' (Spanish children's) * ''India Vision'' (Hindi other) * ''Italian Soccer'' (Italian sports) * ''LiAo Talk Show'' (Mandarin other) * ''Math Tinik'' (Tagalog children's) * ''The Message'' (English other) *''NBA Timeout'' (sports) *''Pocoyo'' (Spanish children's) * ''Sineskwela'' (Tagalog children's) *''Stir TV'' (youth) *''Strut'' (travel) *''ToonHeads'' (Entertainment) * ''Unicef'' (English other) * ''Winx Club'' (Italian children's) * ''Wool 100 Percent'' * ''World of Rugby'' (English sports)

References

External links

Farewell to AZN Television from YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azn Television Defunct television networks in the United States Asian-American television Comcast Television channels and stations established in 1990 Television channels and stations disestablished in 2008 Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania