The SciFi Channel will be starting up a block of anime programming beginning June 11, Broadcasting and Cable. The block will be called Ani-Monday, and will run from 11pm to 1am, right up against Cartoon Network's similarly-themed Adult Swim.


“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. Those levels include younger male viewers; the average age of the current viewing population is 45. Some might argue that would imply the audience has stable jobs and disposable income, and others are still smarting at the cancellation of fan-favorite shows such as Farscape, which had a high female appeal.

The first broadcast in the new timeslot will be Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society.  The following week will feature Noein, Tokko, and Macross Plus.