AZN Television,Comcast's wholly owned cable channel targeting Asian-Americans, has securedexclusive US broadcast rights to the next 10 Asian features released in the USby Sony Pictures Classics.

The overalloutput deal with Sony Pictures Television includes rights to 16 recent Asianfeatures from Sony Pictures Classics and six from Sony Pictures HomeEntertainment, including Kung Fu Hustle, House Of Flying Daggers, and The Emperor And The Assassin.

AZN will have rights to each of the 10 upcoming SonyPictures Classics Asian and Asian-American features for an uninterrupted termof one year, and the deal kicks off in January 2006 with Wong Kar-wai's 2046.

"This is afantastic opportunity for us to work with a studio that is entrenched in Asianfilm," AZN TV's senior vice president of programming and production Peilin Chousaid.

"Sony PicturesClassics has had a lot to do with the growing popularity of Asian film aroundthe world and especially in the US.

"Through thispartnership, we will be able to further fuel that interest by providing ourAsian American viewers, as well as anyone interested in quality Asian cinema,with a national showcase for Asian film for first time on television."