Cartoon Network (Australian and New Zealand TV channel)

Cartoon Network

Country	Australia
Ownership
Owner	Turner Broadcasting System

Cartoon Network is a 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. 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, since 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 available 24 hours a day in New Zealand when the Sky Digital service was launched.

The Broadcasting HQ from Hong Kong and HQ Office in Sydney

History

1995 - 1999: Checkerboard Era

Cartoon Network started broadcasting in Australia in October 1995 with a U.S Voice Over Guy as part of the Foxtel cable TV launch. 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 & Jerry, Droopy, and Spike and Tyke) in 1996, and (after Time Warner's purchase of Turner in 1996) Warner Bros shows (Looney Tunes, and several other Looney Tunes related cartoons) in 1997. In 1998, Cartoon Network started to air its first original shows (Space Ghost Coast to Coast and The Moxy Show), however The Moxy Show was soon cancelled.

1999 - 2005: Powerhouse Era

1999 was the year Cartoon Network received its first facelift, introducing new bumpers, new shows and a new 'powerhouse' theme. The new shows for 1999 were Dexter's Laboratory, Cow & Chicken, I Am Weasel and Johnny Bravo. The following year, 2000, saw even more Cartoon Network originals being introduced, including The Powerpuff Girls, Mike, Lu & Og, Ed, Ed, 'n' Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. Some of these shows (Mike, Lu & Og, Ed, Ed, '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, Time Squad, Samurai Jack and Whatever Happened to Robot Jones? 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 later in 2001. Also in 2001, Cartoon Network 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 including Grim & Evil and Codename: Kids Next Door. 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 no new Cartoon Network original shows added to the schedule, however there were several new programming blocks and non-Cartoon-Cartoons added. The programming blocks include Boomeraction (currently a block on the channel Boomerang), and Tiny TV (currently also a block on Boomerang). Shows added to the line-up in 2003 include The Mask, and X Men: Evoloution. 2004 saw the introduction of Cartoon Cartoon Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. Apart from Foster's, there were no Cartoon Cartoons introduced in 2004. Programming blocks introduced in 2004 include Fridays and Eyeballs A Go-Go. Also, 2004 was the year that the Boomerang programming block was made into a TV channel.

2005 - 2008: City Era

In 2005 the bumpers were replaced with 3-D animations of a '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 the 'CN' city-style logo of today. In 2006, several new Cartoon Network originals premiered, including Robotboy, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, My Gym Partner's a Monkey and Squirrel Boy. The Cartoon Cartoons moniker previously used for Cartoon Network originals was also dropped in 2006. In February, 2008 [adult swim] relaunched on The Comedy Channel airing shows such as Robot Chicken.

Present Era

On August 31 2008, the format of Cartoon Network's bumpers and commercials changed and also they changed the name of Cartoon Network Theatre and Fridays Flicks to Cartoon Network Popcorn. They got the idea from Cartoon Network Southeast Asia

Cartoon Network Video

Cartoon Network Video is a Free Video on demand Service it used to be on cartoon network australia and New Zealand's Website but moved to the Cartoon Network HQ (Asia Pacific) Website. It used to be Windows Media Video but now Flash that means it can run on a Mac or any computer that has Flash player on it. For Asia Pacific Viewers Only.

Cartoon Network programming

Shows screening on Cartoon Network (December 2008)

• Bakugan Battle Brawlers
• Ben 10
• Ben 10: Alien Force
• Blue Dragon
• Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
• Camp Lazlo
• Codename: Kids Next Door
• Courage The Cowardly Dog
• Chop Socky Chooks
• Ed, Edd n' Eddy
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
• Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The
• Johnny Test
• My Gym Partner's a Monkey
• Naruto
• One Piece
• Pokemon
• The Powerpuff Girls
• Shaggy & Scooby Doo Get a Clue!
• Skunk Fu!
• Squirrel Boy
• Transformers: Animated
• Tom and Jerry

Upcoming Shows

• Speed Racer: The Next Generation December 29th Part of The All New Show Show

Programming blocks on Cartoon Network

The All New Show Show

In February 2008, The All New Show Show replaced Fridays as Cartoon Network's destination for premiere shows and viewer-selected shows. The All New Show Show airs for 1 hour on Monday afternoons starting at 5.30pm. Each week, The All New Show Show, which is hosted by Blooregard Q. Kazoo (a popular character on Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends), is broadcasted from different locations across Australia. The first half-hour of The All New Show Show is known as "It's Your Show Show" and it replaced The .Com Pick as Cartoon Network's viewer-selected program. In the second half-hour of The All New Show Show, you would most likely see a brand new premiere episode of Class of 3000, Ben 10 Alien Force, My Gym Partner's A Monkey or Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

Cartoon Network Popcorn

Premiering movies that range from Cartoon Network specials to non-related movies on Friday at 6:00 PM and encore on Saturday at 11am and 8:00 PM and Sunday at 11:00 AM.

120% Cartoon Network

120% Cartoon Network is Cartoon Network's weekend afternoon programming block. It airs from 4pm to 6pm and is very popular since it has no ads. It currently airs Cartoon Cartoon franchises Ed, Edd n' Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls, Cartoon Network originals My Gym Partner's a Monkey, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.

Tiny TV

Tiny TV is currently shown on Boomerang, but because the block doesn't fit in with Boomerang (being a classic cartoon channel), it is a Cartoon Network programming block. It began airing in October 2003, and is currently shown from 10am - 12pm weekdays. Previously, the block aired babyfication versions of classic Hanna-Barbera shows such as The Flintstone Kids, Tom & Jerry Kids and A Pup Named Scooby Doo. Now, it shows other toddler-themed cartoons such as Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks, Postman Pat, The Little Red Tractor and Franklin.

Cartoon Network Sunblock

Cartoon Network Sunblock is the new name of Cartoon Network's summer weekday lineup, airing from December 1. Sunblock, which is very similar (almost exactly the same) as the summer lineups in recent years such as Holidaze, Out of the Cage, and Chunkiest Holiday Toons. The lack of quality new shows being produced by Cartoon Network in recent years has led to a decline in its summer lineups, which in the past (think Eyeballs 2 in 2003-04, Eyeballs A Go-Go in 2004-05, and Holidaze in 2005-06) used to involve major prizes such as TVs, holidays and iPods, and many consolation prizes. This summer, however, there will be no prize winners on Cartoon Network.

Former Programming blocks

Fridays

Fridays, originally titled Cartoon Cartoon Fridays, was the Friday afternoon program block on Cartoon Network that showcased the channel's original animated series. It started off with .Com Pick, a segment where viewers vote for the show they want to watch on the network's website. The Fridays premiere which included a new episode of a show finished the block.

Toonami

Toonami launched on Cartoon Network Australia on July 7, 2001[1] as an outlet for action animation. Most of its lineup consisted of anime, including already popular shows such as Dragonball Z, as well as the Australian premiere of Cardcaptors and exclusives such as Gundam Wing and Yu Yu Hakusho. Occasionally it also broadcast action cartoons from the United States such as Batman of the Future.

On its launch, Toonami broadcast on Saturday evenings from 6.00pm to 8.00pm and on Sunday afternoons from 3.00pm to 5.00pm. Each day's programming was repeated in the Toonami "Late Run" from 11.00pm to 1.00am. Toonami soon expanded to weekdays, and for a number of years could be seen seven days a week. Although timeslots varied, the main Toonami block remained on weekday afternoons; in 2005 it was airing weeknights from 6.00pm, with mini-marathons playing on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

In September 2005, Toonami was dropped from the Cartoon Network schedule. Former Toonami programming, and new programming that would have previously gone to Toonami is now spread out across the network's other timeslots.

Chunky, Chunkier and Chunkiest holiday toons

Aired on every holiday in 2007 beginning with chunky holiday toons, then chunkier, then chunkiest which had no breaks and no time for pitstops (similar to 120% cartoon network) The block aired on weekdays from 9AM.

Acme Hour

Acme Hour was a Cartoon Network programming block that started in March, 2001. It was an hour-long compilation of Tom & Jerry, Popeye and Looney Tunes cartoon shorts. The block's schedule remained unchanged before coming to an end in May, 2003. It aired weekdays from 2pm - 3pm and held that timeslot for three years.

Cartoon Network After Dark

Cartoon Network After Dark was a programming block which started on Cartoon Network in August 2001, and lasted up until March 2002. It kept the same timeslot for the 7 months it went to air, 9pm - 12am weekdays. The name 'Cartoon Network After Dark' was shortened to just 'After Dark' in December 2001.

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 10am - 12pm, 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. 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.

[adult swim]

A time block suited for mature audience, targeting adults at least 17 years old and above. Prior to its removal for unknown reasons, the Australian feed was one in the Asia-Pacific region to have this block. This block is now currently shown on The Comedy Channel.