The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable

Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...

 network which broadcasts anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network.

In May 2009, FUNimation Channel continued its expansion on cable launching on Comcast

Comcast

Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...

's VOD platform and offering two services - Free On Demand and PPV On Demand. The PPV VOD offers viewers a chance to watch titles prior to their DVD release. Movies and packaged specials are available at $2.99 each while episodes are available at $.99 each with the first episode available as a Freeview.
The linear channel is available on AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS

Verizon FiOS

Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...

, iFiber Communications, Groton Utilities, SureWest

Surewest

SureWest is a Roseville, CA based telecommunications company, servicing the Greater Sacramento Valley and Kansas City region markets. SureWest was founded in 1914 by William Doyle as the Roseville Telephone Company - SureWest became the official name in 2003...

, TVMAX

TVMax

TVMax is a commercial privately owned TV station in Panama City, Panama that is available all over the country, except the province of Colón. Its owned by Televisora Nacional, S.A that has an older TV station named TVN....

. The subscription video on-demand service for FUNimation Channel is available on Charter Communications

Charter Communications

Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...

 and Dish Network

Dish Network

Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...

.
The channel launched its HD feed on September 27, 2010.

Colours TV block

The FUNimation Channel started out as a block on television network Colours TV

CoLours TV

Colours TV was a multicultural American TV network produced by the non-profit organization Black Star Communications. Programs focused on the cultural and educational issues of the Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Native American communities. Some examples of programming included video...

. Programs during this era were Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...

, Kodocha

Kodocha

is a manga series by Miho Obana, helped periodically by her sister, Kaori Obana. The series is commonly known under the name Kodocha. The manga won the 1998 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo. In the year 2007, At the American Anime Awards the anime was nominated for best comedy anime...

, The Slayers

Slayers

is a series of over 52 light novels written by Hajime Kanzaka and illustrated by Rui Araizumi. It was later developed into several manga titles, five televised anime series, two three-episode original video animations , and five movies. It also spawned several console role-playing games for the...

, Blue Gender

Blue Gender

is a 26-episode anime created by Ryōsuke Takahashi broadcast in Japan from 1999-2000. Blue Gender was created by the Japanese animation studio, AIC and is distributed in the United States by Funimation Entertainment...

, Kiddy Grade

Kiddy Grade

is a 24 episode science fiction anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment. The series currently airs on the FUNimation Channel in both its "syndicated...

, Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket

, sometimes abbreviated , is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1999 to 2006. The series was also adapted into a 26-episode anime series, directed by Akitaro...

 and Case Closed

Case Closed

Case Closed, known as in Japan, is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. The series is serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since February 2, 1994, and has been collected in 73 tankōbon volumes as of September 2011...

.

History

The FUNimation Channel is North America's second 24-hour English-dubbed anime digital cable network. The first was ADV Films' Anime Network

Anime Network

The Anime Network , a former subsidiary of A.D. Vision, Inc. , is a cable and satellite digital broadcast service in North America dedicated to anime.-History:...

 The service originally was available to a few cities via UHF digital signals and was temporary as the channel was trying to gain a foothold in the already crowded digital cable landscape. Another short-term service was the syndication of a FUNimation Channel block to one of OlympuSAT’s affiliate networks, Colours TV

CoLours TV

Colours TV was a multicultural American TV network produced by the non-profit organization Black Star Communications. Programs focused on the cultural and educational issues of the Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Native American communities. Some examples of programming included video...

syndicated block. Both services were discontinued in favor for a more successful expansion on digital cable, fiber optics and DBS systems, making it now a cable television network. As of September 27, 2010, a High Definition feed was launched alongside existing SD and VOD services.

Although it serves a general audience with programs rated TV-PG or TV-14, there are several shows in the primetime and overnight hours that are designated for mature audiences (rated TV-MA).