I'll never understand why Sony feels the need to release Animax everywhere but the US. I mean, they get the channel in Africa and Poland, for crying out loud. But anyway, the primary reason AZN failed was that so few people actually got it. It was only available to select areas serviced by either Comcast, Time Warner, or Cox. If Comcast really cared, they would have ponied up the dough to get Directv and Dish onboard. I hope Time Warner is paying attention, because a similar fate will befall ImaginAsian if they don't wake up and get with it.
Anime-only channels are a good thing to have. They appeal to a small but loyal following, and with the right advertisers can make some good money. But companies need to actually care about them.