First anime channel to be launched in Russia

Russia will see the launch of its first ever anime channel this summer,  Digital TV PR director Evgeny Kuzin said.

DTV, which has partnered with VGTRK and Rostelecom, obtained a licence for the channel, to be named Fan, at the end of last year, Kommersant reported.

Fan will show foreign content, especially purchased from Japan, China, Korea and US, with Russian content being added in the future. Its schedule will include anime, Hayao Mayazaki films and other similar animation.

Pay-TV operators will make Fan available in their basic packages and the channel will be aimed at viewers aged 14-40.

The channel is currently dubbing different shows and films into Russian, and plans to launch as soon as it has collected enough material.