Hong Kong’s Celestial Pictures has licensed a package of martial arts titles from its Shaw Brothers library to Sony Max, the 24-hour action and reality channel operated by Sony Pictures Television in Africa.

The deal marks the first time that Shaw Brothers titles have been licensed to African pay-TV. Included in the package are titles such as The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, The Chinese Boxer, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Shaolin Temple and Vengeance.

Sony Max, which launched in February 2011 on digital pay-TV platform Multichoice, is targeted at a core male audience. The channel currently has 3.3 million subscribers and is available in 48 countries in Africa via MultiChoice’s DStv Compact and Premium services. 

“We are thrilled that our Shaw Brothers films can now be seen in the continent of Africa as well,” said Celestial Pictures director of distribution Gigi Ko. “Sony Max’s action focus, programming expertise and marketing power makes them the ideal partner to debut these films for African audiences.”