| The Cartoon Network, Inc. | |
| Trade Name: | Cartoon Network |
| Type: | Subsidiary |
| Founded: | [1] |
| Founder: | |
| Hq Location City: | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Hq Location Country: | U.S. |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Industry: | Entertainment |
| Parent: | Warner Bros. Discovery Networks |
The Cartoon Network, Inc. is an American multinational entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Founded by Ted Turner and based out of Atlanta, Georgia, its main properties include its flagship property, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, as well as programming blocks Cartoonito, Adult Swim and Toonami. It is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery Networks.
See main article: History of Cartoon Network.
On March 25, 1986, Turner Broadcasting System acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists. On October 18, Turner forcibly sold back MGM. However, Turner kept much of the film and television library made before May 1986 (including some of the UA library) and formed Turner Entertainment Co.[2] On October 8, 1988, its cable channel Turner Network Television was launched and gained an audience with its extensive film library.[3] In 1991, Turner also purchased the library of animation studio Hanna-Barbera.[4] [5] Ted Turner selected Betty Cohen (then-Senior Vice President of TNT) to devise a network to house these programs.[6] On February 18, 1992, Turner Broadcasting announced its plans to launch Cartoon Network as an outlet for an animation library.[7] On March 12, 1992, The Cartoon Network, Inc. was founded one month after Turner's plan was announced. On October 1, 1992, its namesake TV channel officially launched as the first 24-hour single-genre cable channel with animation as its main theme.
In 1994, Hanna-Barbera's new division Cartoon Network Studios was founded and started production on What a Cartoon!. This show debuted in 1995, offering original animated shorts, most of which became their own programs and significantly influenced the tone of the channel. In 1996, Cartoon Network aired two preschool programs: Big Bag, a live-action/puppet television program with animated short series produced by Children's Television Workshop, and Small World, which featured animated series aimed at preschoolers imported from foreign countries. Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner,[8] which led to Warner Bros. reacquiring the animated shorts they had sold to Associated Artists Productions. The network could then continue more original productions.
The company also owns the assets of Adult Swim, a late-night programming block of Cartoon Network commonly considered to be a separate channel in itself. It launched on September 2, 2001 and remains a core property for the company.
On October 22, 2016, AT&T disclosed an offer to acquire Time Warner for $108.7 billion, including assumed debt held by the latter company. The merger would bring Time Warner's various media properties, including The Cartoon Network, Inc., under the same corporate umbrella as AT&T's telecommunications holdings, including satellite provider DirecTV and IPTV/broadband provider AT&T U-verse.[9] [10] [11] [12] Time Warner shareholders approved the merger on February 15, 2017.[13] On November 20, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against AT&T and Time Warner in an attempt to block the merger, citing antitrust concerns surrounding the transaction.[14] [15] [16] U.S. clearance of the proposed merger—which had already received approval from European, Mexican, Chilean and Brazilian regulatory authorities—was affirmed by court ruling on June 12, 2018, after District of Columbia U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon ruled in favor of AT&T, and dismissed antitrust claims asserted in the DOJ's lawsuit. The merger closed two days later on June 14, 2018, with Time Warner becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T, which renamed the unit WarnerMedia. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington unanimously upheld the lower court's ruling in favor of AT&T on February 26, 2019.[17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
On May 17, 2021, AT&T and Discovery, Inc. reached a definitive Reverse Morris Trust agreement, in which AT&T would spin out WarnerMedia into an independent company (unwinding the prior 2018 acquisition of the former Time Warner) that would concurrently acquire Discovery's assets, for $43 billion in cash, securities and stock plus WarnerMedia's retention of certain debt. Under the transaction, which was expected to be finalized by the second quarter of 2022, The Cartoon Network, Inc. and all other assets of WarnerMedia would be combined with the assets of Discovery, Inc. AT&T shareholders would own 71% of the company's stock and Discovery shareholders would own the remaining 29% share, with each shareholder group appointing representative board members; David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery, would head the new company, replacing WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar.[25] [26] [27] [28]
On June 1, 2021, it was announced that the merged company would be known as Warner Bros. Discovery; Zaslav explained that it would reflect "the combination of Warner Bros.' fabled hundred-year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life, with Discovery’s global brand that has always stood brightly for integrity, innovation and inspiration."[29] The merger was officially completed on April 8, 2022, with The Cartoon Network, Inc. becoming a subsidiary of WBD.
Cartoon Network Europe, a pan-European English feed, was launched in 1993. Spanish, Swedish, Danish, French, Italian, and Norwegian audio tracks were added in 1994. The network's Dutch feed was launched in 1997. Another feed launched in 1998, which aired in France, Italy and Spain. The pan-European feed kept airing in the other parts of Europe. The network's Italian feed became independent a few months later after the launch of the French channel, while the Spanish and French feeds were split in 1999. A Polish feed launched a year earlier, in 1998.
On September 17, 1993, some Russian cities began receiving Cartoon Network Europe through broadcasts from the Astra satellite.[30] [31] The channel broadcast in English. Since July 1, 1996, the channel has been available from the Panamsat 4 satellite in the territories of Southern Russia and Ukraine, in the Asian republics of the former USSR.[32] In 1997, the channel's new distributor, Chello Zone, took over in the CIS.[33] [34] [35] In the same year, the channel was partially dubbed into Russian.[36]
In 1998, the channel began broadcasting on the territories of Belarus and Ukraine, the Baltic states and the North-West of Russia from the Astra 1G satellite. Broadcasting was 16 hours a day, from 8:00 to 0:00 MSK.,[37] at night, the channel carried Turner Classic Movies. In November 1999, the channel became available on the platform NTV Plus and other cable networks, broadcasting from the Sirius 2 satellite.[38]
In 1999, the network's British feed officially split off from the pan-European version. This followed after the shared transponder analogue feed on Astra 1C became scrambled with VideoCrypt and the short-lived British version of TNT was launched.
A Nordic feed was launched in 2000, broadcasting in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and English. This also became available in Iceland and Finland. The Dutch Cartoon Network closed down in 2001. It was replaced with the pan-European feed in 2001. A Dutch audio track was simultaneously added. Greek subtitles became available the same year. The Polish feed branched into separate ones for Romania and Hungary in 2002. A German feed was launched in 2006. A Turkish feed was added in 2008.[39]
In April 2005, Cartoon Network Europe was completely dubbed into Russian.[40] [41]
On October 1, 2008, a separate feed of Cartoon Network was created for Hungary and Romania, while the two additional audio tracks that were previously added to Cartoon Network Poland in 2002. Czech Republic and Slovakia both used to receive this channel feed in an English-language muted audio track..
On October 1, 2009, the channel was launched - Cartoon Network Russia, broadcasting in the countries of CIS and South-Eastern Europe.[42]
The network's Arabic feed launched in 2010.[43] This is the only EMEA-marketed feed not broadcast in English. On November 17, 2010, the Dutch feed relaunched and started broadcasting 24 hours a day and with a new logo. All programs and ads air in Dutch.[44] The Spanish feed shut down in 2013, together with the Spanish Cartoonito. The Spanish feed relaunched as part of Latin America in August 2013. This market can still watch Cartoon Network on Boing,[45] The African Portuguese feed was launched in 2013 in Angola and Mozambique. It launched in Portugal in the same year.[46]
, the ex pan-European feed still airs in the Greek part of Cyprus; it is also one of the four feeds available in the Middle East and Africa (the other ones being the Arabic, French, and Portuguese feeds). This pan-European feed broadcasts in English, while Greek subtitles are available. All other European countries have their own local feed.
On September 1, 2017, the Central and Eastern European channel feed added a Czech-language audio track for its audience in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, replacing the English-language muted audio track.[47]
| "unsortable" | Region(s) | Launch date | End date | Language(s) | Coverage and availability notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arab World | (as an independent concurrent feed; via free-to-air TV) | Arabic | From Dubai, United Arab Emirates | |||
| (a Hindi language channel feed; via subscription TV) | Hindi | |||||
| Asia Pacific | English, Indonesian, Thai, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Tamil | From Singapore and Jakarta | ||||
| (Taiwan) | From Taipei City, Taiwan | |||||
| Australia and New Zealand | English | From Sydney, Australia | ||||
| Canada | (as a sister channel of Teletoon) | (replaced by Boomerang) | From Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Operated under licence by Corus Entertainment. | |||
| (replacing Teletoon) | ||||||
| Central and Eastern Europe | (as part of Cartoon Network Poland) | September 18, 2024 | Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovene, and English | From Prague, Czech Republic[48] | ||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network CECP) | ||||||
| France | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe) | September 25, 2024 | French and English | From Paris, France | ||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network WE) | ||||||
| Germany | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe, in English) | German and English | From Munich, Germany | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network WE) | ||||||
| India (South Asia) | English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada | From Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | ||||
| Israel | 2000 (as part of Cartoon Network Europe, in English) | English and Hebrew | Airs as a VOD streaming channel on Yes | |||
| (as a programming block on Arutz HaYeladim) | ||||||
| 2019 (as a VOD streaming channel on Yes) | ||||||
| Italy | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe) | Italian and English | From Milan, Italy | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| data-sort-value="Japan" | Japan | Japanese and English | From Tokyo, Japan | |||
| Middle East and Africa | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe; via pay TV) | English, Arabic, and Greek | From London, England | |||
| (relaunched as an independent feed specific for the MENA region; via pay TV) | ||||||
| Latin America | Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and English (translated continuity on SAP) | From Buenos Aires and São Paulo (Brazilian feed) | ||||
| (as an autonomous Brazilian feed within the Latin American variant of the channel) | From Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |||||
| 1999 (as an autonomous Mexican feed within the Latin American variant of the channel) | Brazilian Portuguese and English (translated continuity on SAP) | |||||
| South Atlantic (Latin America) | (as part of the Latin American feed) | Latin American Spanish and English (translated continuity on SAP) | From Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Medellín, Santiago de Chile and São Paulo | |||
| 2002 (as an autonomous feed within the Latin American variant of the channel) | ||||||
| Pacific (Latin America) | (as part of the Latin American feed) | |||||
| (as an autonomous feed within the Latin American variant of the channel) | ||||||
| North Atlantic (Latin America) | (as part of the Latin American feed) | |||||
| (as an autonomous feed within the Latin American variant of the channel) | ||||||
| Netherlands | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe, in English) | Dutch and English | From Amsterdam, Netherlands | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network Europe, in Dutch and English) | ||||||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network WE) | ||||||
| Nordic | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe) | Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and English | From London, England | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network WE) | ||||||
| data-sort-value="Pakistan" | Pakistan | English and Urdu | Controlled by Cartoon Network India | |||
| Philippines | (as part of Cartoon Network Asia Pacific) | English | From Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| Poland | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe, in English) | Polish and English | From Munich, Germany | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network CECP) | ||||||
| Portugal | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe, in English) | European Portuguese and English | From London, England | |||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network WE) | ||||||
| CIS | (Cartoon Network Europe) | Russian and English | ||||
| (Cartoon Network RSEE) | Russian, Bulgarian, and English | From Munich, Germany | ||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network CECP) | ||||||
| Southeastern Europe | Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, and English | |||||
| (launched in Croatian, Serbian, Slovene) | ||||||
| (as part of Cartoon Network CECP) | ||||||
| data-sort-value="South Korea" | South Korea | Korean and English | From Seoul, South Korea | |||
| Spain | (as part of Cartoon Network Europe) | (as a channel) | European Spanish and English (in rare times Catalan) | From London, England | ||
| (as an independent feed) | ||||||
| (as a weekend afternoon block on Boing) | ||||||
| data-sort-value="Turkey" | Turkey | Turkish and English | From Istanbul, Turkey | |||
| data-sort-value="United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta" | UK, Ireland & Malta | English | From London, England |
| Channel name | Launch date | End date | Coverage and availability notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia & New Zealand | 2005 (original) | 2007 (original) | Available as a block on Cartoon Network (Australia). |
| 2016 (relaunch) | 2019 (relaunch) | ||
| Canada | (as a block on Cartoon Network) | Canadian channel (24/7) operated by Corus Entertainment; successor to Teletoon at Night. | (as a block on Cartoon Network (now Boomerang)) |
| (as channel, replaced Action) | |||
| France | (as a block on Cartoon Network Switzerland) | 2015 (as a block on Cartoon Network Switzerland) | Available as a block on Warner TV Next. |
| (as a block on Toonami) | |||
| Germany | (as a block on TNT Serie) | 2017 (as a block on TNT Serie) | Available as a block on WarnerTV Comedy. |
| 2016 (as a block on TNT Comedy) | |||
| Latin America | (as a block on Cartoon Network) | 2008 (as a block on Cartoon Network) | |
| (as a block on I.Sat) | (as a block on I.Sat) | ||
| (as a block on TBS) | 2020 (as a block on TBS) | ||
| (as a block on Warner TV) | (as a block on Warner TV) | ||
| (as a TV channel) | |||
| Russia | 2021 | Available as a block in Russia on 2x2 channel. | |
| Spain | (as a block on TNT) | 2012 (as a block on TNT) | |
| (as part of HBO) | |||
| (as a premium pack with Toonami on Orange TV) | |||
| UK & Ireland | (as a block on Bravo) | (as a block on Bravo) | Available as a block on E4. |
| (as a block on FX/Fox) | (as a block on FX/Fox) | ||
| (as a block on TCM) | (as a block on TCM) | ||
| (as a block on TruTV) | (as a block on TruTV) | ||
| (as a block on E4) |
| Region(s) | Launch date | End date | Language(s) | Coverage and availability notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | (block on Cartoon Network Australia and New Zealand) | 2005 (block on Cartoon Network Australia and New Zealand) | English | From Sydney, Australia | |
| (Australia channel) | |||||
| Canada | (rebranding the first Cartoon Network as a Boomerang channel) | From Toronto, Ontario. Owned by Corus Entertainment. | |||
| Central and Eastern Europe | (as part of Boomerang Europe) | (Russia) (in whole CEE); replaced by Cartoonito | English, Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian, Bulgarian, Dutch, Czech, and German | From Munich, Germany | |
| (split into an independent feed) | |||||
| France | French and English | From Paris, France | |||
| Germany | (closed down and replaced by Boomerang Central and Eastern Europe) | German and English | From Munich, Germany | ||
| India (South Asia) | (block on Cartoon Network India) | English and Hindi | From Mumbai, India | ||
| Italy | Italian and English | From Rome, Italy | |||
| Japan | Japanese | From Tokyo, Japan | |||
| Latin America | (channel) | (channel); replaced by Cartoonito | Spanish, English, and Portuguese | From Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; São Paulo, Brazil; and Mexico City | |
| Middle East and Africa | March 2005 (as part of Boomerang Europe) | (Africa) and (MENA); replaced by Cartoonito | English, Arabic, and Greek | From Paris, France | |
| (MENA independent feed) | From London, England | ||||
| Netherlands | 2015 (independant feed) | 2017 (replaced again by Boomerang Central and Eastern Europe) | Dutch and English | ||
| Nordic | (as a block) | (as a block) | English, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish | ||
| (as a channel) | (as a channel); replaced by Cartoonito | ||||
| Portugal |
| Portuguese and English | From Lisboa, Portugal | ||
| South Korea |
| Korean and English | From Seoul, South Korea | ||
| Southeast Asia | (original) | (original) | English and Mandarin | From Singapore | |
| (relaunch) | (relaunch); replaced by Cartoonito | ||||
| Spain |
| Spanish and English | From London, England | ||
| Thailand | [49] | Thai | From Bangkok, Thailand | ||
| Turkey | (as a channel) | (as a block on Cartoon Network) | Turkish and English | From Istanbul, Turkey | |
| (as a block on Cartoon Network) |
| ||||
| UK, Ireland & Malta | English | From London, England |
| Region(s) | Launch date | End date | Language(s) | Type | Coverage and availability notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arab World | (original block) | (original block) | Arabic[50] | Block on Cartoon Network | From Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| (reblock) | (reblock) | ||||
| (relaunch)[51] | |||||
| Asia Pacific | (channel, original) | (channel, original) | English and Chinese | Channel (2012–2015) | From Singapore and Jakarta, replaced Boomerang Asia |
| (Cartoon Network block) | (Cartoon Network block) | Block on Cartoon Network (2012–2015; 2022) | |||
| (Boomerang block) | (Boomerang block) | Block on Boomerang (2022–2023) | |||
| (channel, relaunch) | Channel (2023–present) | ||||
| Australia & New Zealand | English | Block on Cartoon Network | From Sydney, Australia | ||
| Central and Eastern Europe | (original block) | (original block) | English, German, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian, Russian, Dutch, and Bulgarian | Block on Boomerang CEE (2011–2014) | From Munich, Germany, replaced Boomerang CEE |
| (relaunched block) | (relaunched block) | Block on Boomerang CEE (2022–2023) | |||
| (channel) | Channel (2023–present) | ||||
| France | (original block) | (original block) | French | Block on Boing (2011–2013) | From Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| (channel)[52] | Channel (2023–present) | ||||
| India (South Asia) | Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu | Block on Cartoon Network | From Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | ||
| Italy | (Relaunched Channel) | Italian | Channel | From Rome, Italy; owned by Boing S.p.A. (joint-venture between Mediaset (51%) and Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA (49%)) | |
| Japan | Japanese and English | Block on Cartoon Network | From Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Latin America | Spanish, English, and Portuguese | Channel | From Buenos Aires, Argentina, replaced Boomerang Latin America[53] | ||
| Middle East and Africa | (original block) | (original block) | English and Arabic | Block on Boomerang (2011–2014) | From London, England |
| (relaunch block) | ">Web site: Hello, Cartoonito! Coming in April to Boomerang Africa! . March 20, 2022 . BoomerangAfrica. | (relaunch Africa block) (relaunch MENA block) | Block on Boomerang (2022–2023) | ||
(Africa channel) (MENA channel)[54] | Channel (2023–present) | ||||
| Nordic | (block) | (block) | Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and English | Block on Boomerang (2022–2023) | From London, England; replaced Boomerang Nordic |
| (channel) | Channel (2023–present) | ||||
| (as part of Cartoonito Western Europe) | |||||
| Philippines | (channel) | (channel) | English | Channel (2012–2015) | From Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila |
| (block) | Block on Cartoon Network (2022–present) | ||||
| Portugal | (block) | (block) | Portuguese and English | Block on Boomerang (2022–2023) | From Lisbon, Portugal; replaced Boomerang Portugal |
| (channel) | (merged) | Channel (2023–present) | |||
| (as part of Cartoonito Western Europe) | |||||
| South Korea | (block) | (block) | Korean and English | Block on Boomerang (2022–2024) | From Seoul, South Korea; replaced Boomerang South Korea |
| (channel) | Channel (2024–present) | ||||
| Spain | Spanish and English | Channel | From London, England | ||
| Turkey | (Cartoon Network block) | Turkish and English | Block on Cartoon Network (2018–present) | From Istanbul, Turkey; replaced Boomerang Turkey | |
| (Boomerang block) | (Boomerang block) | Block on Boomerang (2022–2023) | |||
| (channel) | Channel (2023–present) | ||||
| UK, Ireland & Malta | (original block) | (original block) | English | Block on Cartoon Network Too (2006–2007) | From London, England |
| (channel) | Channel (2007–present) Block on Boomerang (2009–2010) | ||||
| (relaunch block) | Block on Cartoon Network (2022–present) |
| Region(s) | Launch date | End date | Language(s) | Type | Coverage and availability notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa[55] | English | Channel | From Paris | |||
| Asia Pacific | English, Thai, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Malay | Channel | From Singapore | |||
| Australia and New Zealand | English | Block on Cartoon Network | Aired on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. It later expanded to airing on weekday afternoons. | |||
| Central Europe | Polish, Hungarian, and Romanian | Block | Aired as a weeknight and weekend morning block. | |||
| France |
| French | Channel | From Paris, France | ||
| India (South Asia) | 2005 (block) | English and Hindi | Channel | Launched in 2015, it formerly aired action-animated and anime programming, before shifting its focus to airing classic animated series in 2017, similar to Boomerang. It ceased broadcasting in 2018.[56] | ||
| (channel) | ||||||
| Latin America | (original block) | (original block) | Spanish and Portuguese | Block on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim | It was later relaunched as "Toonami Powered by Crunchyroll" as part of a partnership with Crunchyroll from 2020–2022. | |
| (First relaunch) | (First relaunch) | |||||
| 2023 (Second relaunch) | ||||||
| UK, Ireland & Malta | English | Channel | Replaced CNX; From London, England |
| Channel name | Launch date | End date | Availability | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boomerang +1 | United Kingdom | One-hour timeshift service to Boomerang. | |||
| Italy | |||||
| France | |||||
| Cartoon Network +1 | (original) | (original) | United Kingdom | One-hour timeshift service to Cartoon Network. The original network was replaced with Cartoon Network Too and subsequently Cartoonito and TCM 2 until the latter block closed. Replacement version replaced Cartoon Network Too. | |
| (relaunch) | |||||
| Italy | |||||
| Cartoon Network HD+ | India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh | The channel is a sister channel of Cartoon Network India, that mostly airs new shows. The channel is an HD-only channel broadcast in South Asia. | |||
| Cartoon Network Too | United Kingdom | Sister channel to Cartoon Network, originally launched as a service that timeshared with TCM 2. Relaunched as part of a merger with Toonami, with original slot being replaced with Cartoonito and re-replaced by Cartoon Network +1. | |||
| CNX | United Kingdom | General Entertainment network that aired mostly action cartoons during the day and more-adult-oriented shows during the evening. Replaced by Toonami |
Note: In Italy and the UK, the network's "+1" timeshift channels are often temporarily rebranded and carry only one franchise for around a month, such as Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and Ben 10.