| Cartoon Network (UK & Ireland) | |
|---|---|
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| Cartoon Network | |
| Launched | 17 September 1993 |
| Owned by | Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner Inc.) |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Audience share | 0.5% (March 2009, BARB) |
| Country | United Kingdom & Ireland |
| Sister channel(s) | Cartoon Network TOO Boomerang Cartoonito |
| Website | cartoonnetwork.co.uk |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Top Up TV | Via Top Up TV Anytime |
| Satellite | |
| Sky Digital | Channel 601 |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 704 |
| UPC Ireland | Channel 620 |
| IPTV | |
| Tiscali TV | Channel 312 |
Cartoon Network or CN for short is a television channel available on Sky Digital, Virgin Media, Tiscali TV and UPC Ireland. Distributed by Turner Broadcasting, the channel primarily shows animated programming and was launched on 17 September 1993 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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History
The channel was originally twinned with movie channel TNT and ran from 5am until 7pm, with TNT taking over from 7pm to 5am. Sunday afternoons saw "Super Chunk", which showed back to back episodes of one show for two hours between 1pm and 3pm. Another feature was "The Longest Day", in which Cartoon Network ran for an extra four hours until 11:00pm on 21 June, every year.[citation needed]
This slot was dedicated to full-length cartoon movies. In 1995, Cartoon Network began running for an extra two hours until 9pm, and on 16 December 1996, it became a 24-hour channel, as did TNT. However, a version of the channel called TNT & Cartoon Network continued to appear on some providers.
During 1998-2002 Cartoon Network was part of ITV Digital's channel package. Airing 24 hours a day until the service collapsed. It is now available on digital terrestrial through a Top Up TV subscription.
On 1 February 1999, the channel saw the introduction of a strand called "AKA Cartoon Network", which had a DJ theme and would run from 7pm to 9pm, the 'host' being an afroed cartoon character called Jackie Potato. It would feature selected cartoons from the Cartoon Network library (including Space Ghost Coast to Coast) and an original show called Cult Toons, which featured heavily re-edited Hanna-Barbera material.
27 May 2000, the channel Boomerang was launched by Cartoon Network in the UK and Ireland, and most "classic" cartoons were moved from Cartoon Network to the new channel, which initially broadcast from 6am–12am. Before long, however, it became 24 hours, and the remaining classic shows also moved to Boomerang. In September 2000, Toonami began broadcasting weekdays for two hours between 4pm–6pm, and 9pm–11pm, as well as weekends from 10am–12pm and 10pm–12am. Dragonball Z had already been airing on Cartoon Network since 1999, and had been attracting very good ratings, which may have contributed to the decision to launch Toonami in the UK. Its output consisted almost solely of Japanese anime such as the cult Dragonball Z, Tenchi Muyo, and Gundam Wing. The only non-Japanese shows for quite some time were the American-produced The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and Batman Beyond (Batman of the Future in the UK). Around the same time, there was almost completely new programming on the channel, and so Boomerang began in a late night slot.
In June 2002, Toonami disappeared from Cartoon Network UK, and in October, a new channel was created called CNX. It was hailed as a high-octane, "triple-A mix of Action, Adventure, and Anime." All American and Japanese animation shown on Toonami was broadcast on this 24 hour channel from 6am–12am, and during the night, there were hard hitting American dramas such as The Shield, adventure shows such as Spawn, martial arts films and extreme sports programmes. In 2003, there was a slot between 9pm and 10pm showing Cartoon Network produced comedy such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The extreme sports and films were moved to a small slot between 10pm and 2am. For the rest of the time, Toonami returned, on CNX, showing all of its previous output, plus a number of new shows. In September 2003, after 11 months on air, CNX was shut down, and Toonami became a 24-hour channel, in line with Cartoon Network and Boomerang.
On 11 April 2005, six months after the United States, the channel received a new logo. The idents also changed to the same ones used in the U.S., with a CGI layout of a town and various characters (usually related to the show that was coming up next, was on now, would be back after the break, and what would be on in 15 minutes) engaging in activities. These replaced the previous idents used since 2003, featuring characters from one TV show falling through something and coming out in another show. Actual show clips were used.
Cartoon Network+ was a 1-hour timeshift channel for Cartoon Network. It was closed down on 6 March 2006 before Boomerang +1 launched on the same day.
In April 2006, Cartoon Network Too was launched on Sky Digital broadcasting cartoons primarily made by Hanana-Barbera such as Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Ed, Edd n Eddy and Wacky Races. Also shown were cartoons aimed at younger audiences. Other cartoons shown include The Cramp Twins and Courage the Cowardly Dog. However, within a little over a month the channels programming changed, similar to early Cartoon Network with Archive Of Cartoons Such As Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry. The channel aired from 3am to 7pm everyday until 24 May 2007 where it became a 24 hour channel, replacing the Toonami channel and showing the same shows from Cartoon Network. The channel slot was replaced with Cartoonito, which showed cartoons purely aimed for younger children.
On the 26 April 2007 Cartoon Network launched onto Virgin Media's On Demand system, thus allowing Virgin Media customers to watch Cartoon Network programmes whenever they like. They can also take advantage of pause, rewind and fast forward functions, when watching these programmes.
Adult Swim, geared towards audiences over 17, is now available in the UK, though not carried on a Turner station but on Virgin Media Television-owned "Bravo". Shows are presented during a weekly slot on the channel rather than on its own dedicated channel.
Cartoon Network programmes
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This section requires expansion. |
When Cartoon Network initially launched, its schedule was mainly made up of short cartoons from both Warner Bros and other studios, such as WB's Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies and Metro Goldwyn Mayer's Tom and Jerry. A few years after, it started to broadcast its own programming such as The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory.
Motorsport Sponsorship
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This section requires expansion. |
Cartoon Network sponsor Steve Dance, driver of the #16 race truck in the UK Pickup Truck Racing series.
References
External links
- Official site
- Cartoon Network at Turner Broadcasting
- Turner Media Innovations (UK Sales House for Cartoon Network)
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