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Cartoon Network (Australian and New Zealand TV channel)

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Cartoon Network
CountryAustralia
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
OwnerTurner International Australia
Time Warner

Cartoon Network Australia is an Australian cable and satellite television channel created by Turner Broadcasting, a unit of Time Warner which primarily shows animated programming.

The Australian version is available on Pay TV (Foxtel, Optus and Austar). It is also on 3 as a part of its new mobile TV service for $4 a month although this feed is merely a heavily repeated media stream of Cartoon Network's best shows.[1] Telstra also broadcasts Cartoon Network on mobile service, though this is the same feed as seen on Foxtel. Neighbourhood Cable broadcasts the network in yet another feed in regional Victoria. SKY Network Television has broadcast the network in New Zealand, on 1 January 1997 originally during the day on SKY UHF preset channel 7 with Orange (later SKY 1, and now The Box) broadcasting during the evenings. The Cartoon Network became a separate 24-hour channel in New Zealand in 1998 when the SKY Digital service was launched.[2] Cartoon Network Australia and Asia followed suit on 1 July 2001.

History

1990's

Cartoon Network started its broadcast in Australia in 1995 as the dual-channel TNT & Cartoon Network as part of the Foxtel cable TV launch, operating from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with Turner Classic Movies (formerly TNT) taking the remainder of the daily schedule. On 1 July 2001, Cartoon Network Australia became a separate 24-hour channel, with exclusive local feeds for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Darwin, etc. It originally aired only Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as Yogi Bear, Top Cat, The Flintstones etc. The channel quickly started to develop though, airing for the first time MGM cartoons (Tom and Jerry, Droopy, and Spike and Tyke) on 1 January 1996, and (after Time Warner's purchase of Turner in 1996) Warner Bros shows (Looney Tunes, and several other Looney Tunes related cartoons) on 1 January 1997. In Mid 1997, Cartoon Network started to air its first original shows (Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Dexter's Laboratory and The Moxy Show), however The Moxy Show was soon cancelled.

On 22 August 1999 Cartoon Network introduced a new rebrand, introducing new bumpers, new shows and a new 'powerhouse' theme. The new shows for 1999 were Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel and The Powerpuff Girls.

2000's

The following year, 2000, saw even more Cartoon Network originals being introduced, including Mike, Lu & Og, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. Some of these shows (Mike, Lu & Og, Ed, Edd n Eddy and Courage the Cowardly Dog) were not produced by Cartoon Network.

In 2001, the rate of new Cartoon Network originals kept going, with Sheep in the Big City, and Time Squad being brought in. Due to the large number of Cartoon Network originals that were on Cartoon Network, they decided to name these shows Cartoon Cartoons, which led to the Friday night block Cartoon Cartoon Fridays being introduced to Australia. Cartoon Network also introduced other programming blocks including Toonami, Acme Hour, Prime Time, Boomerang (now a channel) and Cartoon Network After Dark.

2002 saw more Cartoon Cartoons introduced two new cartoon cartoons Samurai Jack and Grim & Evil,Grim & Evil eventually spun off into two separate series, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne. Justice League and Mucha Lucha! also debuted on Cartoon Network in 2002.

In 2003, there were new Cartoon Network original shows added to the schedule like Robot Jones, and Codename: Kids Next Door, however there were several new programming blocks and non-Cartoon-Cartoons added. The programming blocks include Boomeraction and Tiny TV. Shows added to the line-up in 2003 include The Mask, and X Men: Evoloution.

2004 saw the introduction of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, the sole new show to premiere on Cartoon Network that year. Programming blocks introduced in 2004 include Fridays (as a replacement for the now-cancelled Cartoon Cartoon Fridays) and Eyeballs A Go-Go. Early in 2004, the Boomerang network - a spin off from the previously aired block on Cartoon Network - launched as part of the new Foxtel digital package. Following this, much of Cartoon Network's older Hanna-Barbera programming migrated to Boomerang in order to free up space on the Cartoon Network schedule which was at the time very crowded. Popular older shows such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Top Cat, however, remained on the network a little longer. The most popular older programs, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry, have as of 2011 retained a more or less permanent spot on the network's schedule. In April, the channel was added to TransTV.[3]

In addition, Cartoon Network for a brief period would show segments of kids getting prizes during the holidays but this was axed from poor viewer response. Cartoon Network had, up until mid-2004, been tied with the Disney Channel as Australia's most popular family network. The removal of older programming from the network during this period led to a fall in average audience share during 2004 as fans of older cartoons moved to Boomerang. Cartoon Network had slipped to second spot among Australian family networks behind the Disney Channel by the end of the Powerhouse Era.[4]

On 16 August 2005, the bumpers were replaced with 3-D animations of a 'CN (Cartoon Network) City' that all the Cartoon Network toons lived in. Show-specific bumpers were replaced with 3-D animations of a well-known scene from the particular show (e.g.: a Dexter's Laboratory bumper would feature Dexter's house, a Powerpuff Girls bumper would feature most likely the PPG household, and so forth). The retro checker board logo was replaced with a 'CN' city-style logo, a parody on the late 1950s Hanna-Barbera watermark.

In 2006, several new Cartoon Network originals premiered, including Robotboy, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, My Gym Partner's a Monkey and Squirrel Boy.

Between January 2006 and May 2007, Cartoon Network phased out all Hanna-Barbera animation and shows previously labelled Cartoon Cartoons (as of May 2007, the only shows made before 2003 airing on Cartoon Network were Tom and Jerry, Ed Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and The Powerpuff Girls, although since then a few older cartoons have come and gone). The Cartoon Cartoons moniker previously used for Cartoon Network originals was also dropped in 2006. On Sunday 6 May 2007, Cartoon Network officially aired Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel and Johnny Bravo for the last time before those shows migrated to Boomerang.

In February 2008, adult swim relaunched on The Comedy Channel airing shows such as Robot Chicken and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

On 31 August 2008, the format of Cartoon Network's bumpers and commercials changed, and the Cartoon Network Theatre and Fridays Flicks were renamed to Cartoon Network Popcorn. This mimics a similar decision made by Cartoon Network Southeast Asia, with the major visual theme being the recurring 'dynamic line' on the network's official website and also in all the Station IDs, bumpers, etc.

During theis period, much of Cartoon Network's comedy/fun-oriented programs (such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and Camp Lazlo), which were popular in the early-mid 2000s, are being shown much less frequently on the network, making way for more anime and action-oriented shows (such as Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force, The Secret Saturdays, Pokemon DP Battle Dimension).

2010's

Cartoon Network also transferred from 4:3 to 16:9 broadcasting on Monday 30 November 2010 at 5:30am (Australian Eastern Daylight) as part of Foxtel's plan to convert all of its channels to widescreen before the end of 2010. The last show shown in this era was What's New Scooby Doo, on Good Morning Scooby.

On 12 September 2011, Cartoon Network Australia advertised the premiere of The Amazing World of Gumball (1 October) along with a new theme.

On 1 October 2011, during The Amazing World of Gumball premiere, Cartoon Network introduced its new branding and logo. Designed by Brand New School, it makes heavy use of a black and white checkerboard motif, as well as various CMYK color variations and patterns. The slogan It's a Fun Thing! was also introduced.

Programming

Many of the programmes that air include series produced by Cartoon Network Studios, acquired programs produced by Warner Bros. Animation and third-party animation studios.

Current programming

As of July 2012

Programming blocks

Boomerang

Now Cartoon Network's sister TV channel Boomerang was originally a Cartoon Network block for the lesser-known Hanna-Barbera classic cartoons that didn't already have regular half-hour slots. It began in April 2001 as a morning block airing at 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, but in August 2001 also aired as an hour-long mini-block in Cartoon Network After Dark. The shows on Boomerang changed randomly every week, for both the morning and the evening block. The Boomerang blocks had bumpers which featured children's toys of characters in Hanna-Barbera cartoons coming to life, identical to the Boomerang bumpers used in the United States. These bumpers were sometimes also used on the TV channel. The evening block last aired in March 2002, and the morning block last aired in September 2004. However late-night airings of Boomerang on Cartoon Network continued until early 2005, when the Boomerang channel received a face-lift.

Adult Swim

A time block suited for mature audience, targeting adults at least 17 years old and above.The comedy block that started at 10:30 pm and ended at 12:00 am with an encore till 1:30 on Fridays and Saturdays aired the following shows: Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law, The Brak Show, Home Movies, The Venture Bros., Tom Goes to the Mayor. And before the block was ceased Squidbillies also premiered with a special disclaimer about the content, as did most of the anime. The anime block which aired from Monday to Thursday included Bleach, Cowboy Bebop, InuYasha, Air Gear, Black Cat, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Blood+, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Trigun and other various adult programs.

Prior to its removal for strategic reasons, the Australian feed was one in the Asia-Pacific region to have this block. This block is currently shown on The Comedy Channel with Harvey Birdman and Aqua Teen Hunger Force as well as the premiere of Robot Chicken and Moral Orel. Most of the anime that previously aired on Adult Swim now air on the Sci Fi Channel with its own anime block.

Madman Entertainment has also been releasing Adult Swim DVD in region 4 starting with Aqua Teen, Harvey Birdman and Robot Chicken in 2007. It has since released most volumes of every series that has a DVD, including future releases.[5]

Foxtel Download

Certain episodes of shows on the network are available for download for FOXTEL & Foxtel from Telstra subscribers via the FOXTEL website.

Virgin Australia Live to Air

Channel 24 on Virgin Australia domestic flights within Australia

Logos

  • First logo used from 3 October 1995 to 16 August 2005.
    First logo used from 3 October 1995 to 16 August 2005.
  • Second logo used from 16 August 2005 to 1 October 2011.
    Second logo used from 16 August 2005 to 1 October 2011.
  • Third & Current logo used from 1 October 2011 to present.
    Third & Current logo used from 1 October 2011 to present.
  • Current variation of the original logo from 1 October 2011.
    Current variation of the original logo from 1 October 2011.

References

  1. ^ "3 Mobile offers Cartoon Network". Retrieved 9 April 2006.
  2. ^ "SKY Network Television offers Cartoon Network". Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 9 April 2006.
  3. ^ "TransACT to offer more free, pay-television channels". Canberra Times. 13 April 2004. p. 5. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/2005/B1_20051002.pdf
  5. ^ Adult Swim

Template:Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific

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