Cartoon Network (UK)
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Cartoon Network (commonly abbreviated as CN) is a British
pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
channel aimed at children which airs
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
programming targeting children and young aged 6 to 12.Turner Broadcasting comes of age with Cartoon Network HD , News , Rapid TV News
It is run by
Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Outline of entertainment, entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It was formed from WarnerMedi ...
under its EMEA division. The channel primarily airs animated programming. The channel initially launched on 17 September 1993 as a larger pan-European feed, serving the UK market along with Western and Northern Europe. In August 1999, the pan-European aspect of Cartoon Network Europe was spun-off as a new feed with an identical schedule to Cartoon Network UK (the former pan-European feed). Cartoon Network UK completely ceased being a pan-European feed on 15 October 1999, which was when it was scrambled with Videocrypt and the launch of the UK only version of TNT. The pan-European feed continued to shadow Cartoon Network UK's schedule until 2001. The pan-European feed excluded shows such as ''
Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' (''DBZ'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 ''Dragon Ball'' television series and adapts the latter 325 chapters ...
'' and ''
Angela Anaconda ''Angela Anaconda'' is a comedy animated children's TV series created by Joanna Ferrone and Sue Rose that originally aired from Fall 1999 until December 10, 2001. 65 episodes were produced. Premise The show focuses on the adventures of an e ...
'' and were substituted, as Cartoon Network did not have the pan-European broadcasting rights to these shows, only the rights for the UK and the Netherlands.


History


Pre-launch

In October 1992, the original Cartoon Network channel was launched in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
in the US. Cartoon Network was created in response of Turner Entertainment acquiring
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
's animation library in 1986 and the acquisition of the
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
animation studio and cartoon library in 1991. As a result of Turner purchasing MGM's Cartoon and Film library, Warner Bros. pre-1948 content was also acquired, including early
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
and
Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...
shorts. At launch in the United States, Cartoon Network had an 8,500-hour cartoon library, and it became the first channel dedicated to cartoons. In April 1993, Cartoon Network expanded into foreign markets by launching a
Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...
version of Cartoon Network dubbed in both Spanish, Portuguese and English. Cartoon Network's large animation library was in high demand in Western Europe and as a response to consumer demand,
Astra 1C Astra 1C was a geostationary communications satellite launched in 1993 by SES. The satellite remained in service until 2011 and is now derelict. History Astra 1C was the third communications satellite placed in orbit by SES, and was origina ...
, the satellite on which Cartoon Network broadcast on, was launched in May 1993 on board an Ariane 42L rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. Cartoon Network Europe was launched on 17 September 1993, broadcasting from London. It launched only less than 12 months after the original American version and only 16 days after
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
.


Launch (1993–1999)

Cartoon Network originally timeshared with
TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...
and broadcast from 5:00AM until 7:00PM, with TNT broadcast during the channel's downtime from 7:00PM to 5:00AM. 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 in June 1994, every year beginning in 1994. This slot was dedicated to full-length cartoon movies. The first theme was the Checkerboard theme, which showed graphics from its US counterpart and lasted until 1999. The Checkerboard branding package was developed by Hatmaker Studios, now merged and part of its sister company - Corey, McPherson and Nash. Also unlike Nickelodeon, which was part of
Sky Multichannels Sky Multichannels was a package of analogue television services offered by BSkyB on the Astra satellites at 19.2° east from 1 September 1993 to 27 September 2001, which started off with 15 channels before expanding to over 40. History Overv ...
, Cartoon Network was
free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscri ...
across Europe.


Introduction of 24-hour service

In September 1996, Cartoon Network began running for an extra two hours until 9:00PM, and in December 1996, along with TNT, it became a 24-hour channel. The full time version was only available on the
Astra 1G Astra 1G was one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES. History SES ordered its Hughes 601HP satellite, in 1994 for Astra 1G. Astra 1G was retired to a graveyard orbit in 2023.Sky Digital satellite platform on the
Astra 2A Astra 2A is one of the Astra communications satellites owned by SES. Launched in 1998 into the 28.2° East orbital position, half its expected end-of-life capacity of 28 transponders were pre-booked by BSkyB, who utilised it to launch their ne ...
satellite. Also, in February 1997, Dutch cable provider A2000/KTA added the 24-hour Cartoon Network and TNT channels to its programming lineup. From 15 November 1998, Cartoon Network was part of
ITV Digital ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc, owners ...
's channel package, airing 24 hours a day until the service collapsed on 1 May 2002.


Separation from Pan-European version

In October 1999, Cartoon Network officially split from the pan-European feed, this was when the shared transponder analogue feed on Astra 1C became scrambled with
VideoCrypt VideoCrypt is a cryptographic, smartcard-based conditional access television encryption system that scrambles analogue pay-TV signals. It was introduced in 1989 by News Datacom and was used initially by Sky TV and subsequently by several other ...
and when the short-lived analogue UK and Ireland only version of TNT launched. Prior to this date, the European version of Cartoon Network moved to Sirius II to serve Central Europe in August 1999 and the French and Spanish version launched at the same time the same month, leaving the ex pan-European version on Astra 1C acting as a de facto free to air secondary/transitional European feed for countries preparing to switchover to their own newly launched local versions of Cartoon Network up until encryption in October 1999. TNT changed its programming from classic movies to general entertainment as the movies were moved to TCM, TNT UK ceased to exist in July 2000 and was replaced by an analogue version of TCM. During the late 90s and the early 2000s, Turner Entertainment Networks International started localising their channels to suit different audiences across different countries around Europe, Middle East and Africa.


Post-pan European split

After the pan-European split, Cartoon Network revamped on 15 October 1999 with the launch of a unique and more intensive variant of the "Powerhouse" theme which had shapes and tiles with lines and footage of characters from various shows shown on Cartoon Network. This lasted until 1 September 2002 in the UK and was used throughout Europe on 30 September 2002. The European version of Powerhouse was produced by now-defunct London based animation and design studio AMGFX. A DJ theme was used during the
AKA Cartoon Network AKA Cartoon Network was a slot in the Cartoon Network weekday evening schedule from 1999 to 2000, between 7 and 9 pm on weekday evenings. The slot consisted of repeated shows such as ''Space Ghost Coast to Coast'', Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes and ...
programming block, bumpers include a live-action DJ scratching a record, which affects the playback of a cartoon clip. On 30 June 2001, the analogue feed on Astra 1C of Cartoon Network and TCM ceased broadcasting. Sky's analogue service would later fully shut down on 27 September that year. On 11 April 2005, after it was introduced in the United States, Cartoon Network adopted the CN City era until 23 May 2007.


2010–2020

On 27 September 2010, the British version of Cartoon Network introduced its current branding and logo while Cartoon Network Too continued to use the Arrow era until 2012 and the 2004 logo was still used as the network's production logo until 14 April 2013. Designed by Brand New School, it makes heavy use of a black and white checkerboard motif, as well as various CMYK colour variations and patterns. This branding had been introduced earlier in the American version on 29 May 2010. The DOG was moved from the top right corner to the bottom right corner, like in the United States. On 1 April 2014, Cartoon Network's DOG moved back to the top-right corner and a new Next banner using graphics from the Check It 3.0. branding package was introduced. Also during the same month,
Cartoon Network Too Cartoon Network Too (stylised CN Too) was a British television channel that was owned by Turner Broadcasting. CN Too was the sister station of Cartoon Network, and it often aired older programmes that previously aired on the main Cartoon Networ ...
closed down and was replaced by a reinstated one-hour timeshift service called Cartoon Network +1, which closed down on 5 March 2006. Cartoon Network's Check It 3.0 was fully implemented on Cartoon Network on 21 July 2014 for the official start of the school summer holidays in the UK, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu also premiered on the channel on the same day. In November 2015, Cartoon Network launched their anti-bullying campaign in conjunction with Childline called Cartoon Network Buddy Network. After nearly two years of the Laughternoons programming block was replaced by Mega Mondays on 14 April 2014, Laughternoons returned to Cartoon Network for a short period in January 2016. Mega Mondays was the name of Cartoon Network's new episodes programming block for three years before being discontinued in July 2017. It was replaced with New Fridays in March 2018. In October 2015, Cartoon Network launched their own localised version of the Cartoon Network Anything app, featuring short-form content such as mini-games and video-clips. In February 2016, Cartoon Network used graphics from the Check It 4.0 branding package for the first time on a new episode promo for Transformers: Robots in Disguise. On 22 July 2016, Cartoon Network fully rebranded using graphics from the Check It 4.0 branding package. In April 2016, Cartoon Network signed a deal with Sky for exclusive on-demand boxset rights for a selection of its animated shows. In November 2016, Cartoon Network won two PromaxBDA UK awards for their Where's Ice King and Weetabix Weetabuddies television campaigns. On 21 July 2017, Cartoon Network fully rebranded using graphics from the Dimensional 1.0 branding package. In April 2019, Cartoon Network UK's website was hacked, with a Gumball video replaced with an Arabic meme video. On 18 November 2020, WarnerMedia was granted a Czech ( RRTV) broadcasting licence for Cartoon Network UK and Ireland, entitled ''Cartoon Network Eire'', with the reason being to ensure continued legal carriage of Cartoon Network UK in the Republic of Ireland and Malta in accordance with the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and single market law following the
UK's withdrawal from the European Union Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET). The UK, which joined th ...
. Like the UK, the Czech Republic has minimal broadcasting regulations and was chosen for EU licensing purposes as WarnerMedia's
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
had substantial operations located in the country. Editorially, the channel is still managed from Cartoon Network's offices at WarnerMedia's EMEA headquarters in London.


Programming


Original scheduling

When Cartoon Network initially launched, its schedule was mainly made up of short cartoons from both
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
and other studios, such as ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'', ''
Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...
'' and ''
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...
''. A few years after, it started to broadcast its own programming such as ''
The Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Blossom ...
'' and ''
Dexter's Laboratory ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a science laboratory in his bedroom, which he keeps secret from his u ...
.'' Eventually, most of Cartoon Network's acquired programming was shifted to the sidelines, with the company's original animated series taking up the majority of Cartoon Network's timeslots.


Programming blocks

In September 2000,
Toonami Toonami ( ) is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and currently produced by Williams Street, a subsidiary of W ...
began broadcasting weekdays for two hours between 4pm until 6pm, and from 9pm until 11pm, as well as weekends from 10am until noon and 10pm until midnight. ''
Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' (''DBZ'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 ''Dragon Ball'' television series and adapts the latter 325 chapters ...
'' had already been airing on Cartoon Network since March 2000, 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! is a Japanese anime, light novel and manga franchise. The original series began with a six-episode Original video animation, OVA called . This original series was created by Masaki Kajishima and directed by Hiroki Hayashi, and it was rel ...
'', and ''
Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "After ...
''. The only non-Japanese shows for quite some time were ''
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' (also known as ''Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996, to April 16, 1997. ...
'' and ''
Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...
''. As time went on, Toonami started to shift away from Japanese anime and action programming, eventually morphing into CN Too. Around the same time, there was almost completely new programming on the channel, and so
Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
began in a late night slot; it ultimately branched off into its own channel after the block was discontinued. From February 2012 until July 2017, Cartoon Network shifted its major night of premieres to Monday evenings, under the names "Meaty Mondays", and as of April 2014 "Mega Mondays". Additionally, the block's name would change to "Mince Pie Mondays" every December, sporting a more festive look and airing Christmas specials to boot. In May 2014, a much smaller Friday variety block, titled "Funsize Fridays" was launched. This block only ran for around 2014, and consisted of playing "a different show every fifteen minutes". The shows featured in the block were ''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'', ''
The Amazing World of Gumball ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' (also known simply as ''Gumball'' or by its abbreviation ''TAWOG''; retitled ''The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball'' beginning with its The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, seventh season) is an animated si ...
'', '' Clarence'', ''
Johnny Test ''Johnny Test'' is an animated television series created by Scott Fellows, originally produced in the United States by Warner Bros. Animation and later produced in Canada by Cookie Jar Group, Cookie Jar Entertainment. It premiered on Kids' WB ...
'', ''
Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...
'', ''
Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who lives with the Crys ...
'', ''
Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...
'', and ''
Uncle Grandpa ''Uncle Grandpa'' is an American animated television series created by Peter Browngardt for Cartoon Network that ran from September 2, 2013, to June 30, 2017. It is based on Browngardt's animated short of the same name from '' The Cartoonstitut ...
''. Only one of these shows would air new episodes in this block, passing the baton to a different show monthly. Eventually, both of these blocks were discontinued, and Cartoon Network was completely devoid of programming blocks for some time. However, in March 2018, a brand new Friday night premiere block launched, under the simple name "New Fridays". The block aired on Friday nights from 4pm to 9pm, and it was based upon the United States feed's "NEW NEW NEW NEW" block, carrying the same neon light branding from its international counterpart. Despite only lasting around four months, the block had a large variety of shows rotating in and out of premiere slots, including ''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
'', ''
The Amazing World of Gumball ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' (also known simply as ''Gumball'' or by its abbreviation ''TAWOG''; retitled ''The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball'' beginning with its The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, seventh season) is an animated si ...
'', ''
Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise conceived by Man of Action and owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc. The franchise, mainly consisting of animated series produced by Cartoon Network Studios, revolves around a young boy named Ben Tennys ...
'', '' Clarence'', ''
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ''Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'' is a children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. It was first published in 1978 by Atheneum Books, followed by a 1982 trade paperback edition from sister company Aladdin Pap ...
'', ''
Mighty Magiswords ''Mighty Magiswords'' (stylized as ''Mighty MagiSwords'') is an American animated television series created by Kyle A. Carrozza for Cartoon Network Video as the network's first online original series. The web shorts officially premiered onlin ...
'', '' Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'', '' OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes'', ''
The Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Blossom ...
'', ''
Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...
'', ''
Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who lives with the Crys ...
'', ''
Supernoobs ''Supernoobs'' is a Canadian animated comedy television series produced by DHX Media, now known as WildBrain, for Cartoon Network and Teletoon. It was created by Scott Fellows, who also created ''Johnny Test'', '' Ned's Declassified School S ...
'', ''
Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...
'', ''
We Bare Bears ''We Bare Bears'' is an American animated series created by Daniel Chong for Cartoon Network. The show follows three bear brothers, named Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear, and their awkward attempts at integrating with the human world in the San Franci ...
'', ''
Uncle Grandpa ''Uncle Grandpa'' is an American animated television series created by Peter Browngardt for Cartoon Network that ran from September 2, 2013, to June 30, 2017. It is based on Browngardt's animated short of the same name from '' The Cartoonstitut ...
'', and ''
Unikitty! ''Unikitty!'' (stylized as ''UniKitty!'') is an American animated television series developed by Ed Skudder and Lynn Wang for Cartoon Network and produced by The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation. The series is based on and stars the char ...
''. The Canadian import ''
Wishfart ''Wishfart'' is a Canadian urban fantasy comedy animated television series created by John Hazlett, Lienne Sawatsky and Daniel Williams. The series was produced by Wishfart Productions Inc. in association with Nelvana and Corus Entertainment, wit ...
'' also had its premiere and new episodes restricted to the block. In July 2018, the block was discontinued unexpectedly.


Cartoonito Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and Block programming, programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish language, Spanish suffix " ...

On 1 March 2022, a Cartoonito block was launched, airing on weekdays from 9 am to 10 am (although it briefly extended to end at 11 am during the Spring-Summer of 2022). Unlike the channel's other programming blocks, it does not air during the school holidays.


Sister networks


Boomerang

In May 2000, Boomerang was launched by Cartoon Network in the UK and Ireland, and most "classic" cartoons were moved from Cartoon Network to Boomerang, which initially broadcast from 6am to 12am. In October 2001, Boomerang became a 24-hour channel and the remaining "classic" cartoons like
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
, also moved to Boomerang.


Cartoonito

In May 2007, Cartoonito was launched as a pre-school channel replacing
Cartoon Network Too Cartoon Network Too (stylised CN Too) was a British television channel that was owned by Turner Broadcasting. CN Too was the sister station of Cartoon Network, and it often aired older programmes that previously aired on the main Cartoon Networ ...
. Cartoonito aired from 4am to 9pm daily. In January 2018, Cartoonito officially began airing 24 hours a day.


Defunct sister networks


CNX

CNX was a channel operated by Turner Broadcasting System Europe in the UK and Ireland between 2002 and 2003. It was aimed at a male audience, with daytime programming aimed at older children and teenagers, and evening programming aimed at older teenagers and young adults. CNX was carried in the 'Entertainment' section of the Sky programme guide, and was also available on cable


Toonami

Toonami launched in September 2003 showing action programming. Toonami had originally replaced CNX, which launched in October 2002. In May 2007, Toonami was replaced by
Cartoon Network Too Cartoon Network Too (stylised CN Too) was a British television channel that was owned by Turner Broadcasting. CN Too was the sister station of Cartoon Network, and it often aired older programmes that previously aired on the main Cartoon Networ ...
which was later shut down.


Cartoon Network Too

In April 2006, Cartoon Network Too was launched on
Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
on the same day as sister
TCM 2 TCM Movies (formerly TNT and Turner Classic Movies) was a British pay television channel, focussing mostly on classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. film libraries, which included many Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM t ...
and Nick Jr. 2, broadcasting cartoons primarily made by Hanna-Barbera such as ''
Dexter's Laboratory ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a science laboratory in his bedroom, which he keeps secret from his u ...
'', ''
The Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Blossom ...
'', ''
Johnny Bravo ''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, it aired from July 14, 1997, to August 27, 2004. The titular Johnny Bravo (voiced by ...
'' and ''
Wacky Races ''Wacky Races'' is a media franchise containing five animated series, several video games, and a comic book, with most centered on the theme of various Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters primarily engaged in auto racing (although occasionally employ ...
''. Cartoon Network Too aired from 3 am to 7 pm every day until May 2007, when it became a 24-hour channel, taking Toonami's slot and getting a new identity. In April 2014, Cartoon Network Too was replaced by a relaunched version of Cartoon Network +1.


Related services


Cartoon Network +1

Cartoon Network +1 originally launched in 1998 as a one-hour timeshift of Cartoon Network before it was replaced by Cartoon Network Too in April 2006. Cartoon Network +1 was relaunched in April 2014 replacing
Cartoon Network Too Cartoon Network Too (stylised CN Too) was a British television channel that was owned by Turner Broadcasting. CN Too was the sister station of Cartoon Network, and it often aired older programmes that previously aired on the main Cartoon Networ ...
, just as Cartoon Network Too had replaced them in 2006. In July 2018, Cartoon Network +1 was temporarily replaced by a Ben 10 thematic pop-up channel, the channel reverted to Cartoon Network +1 in July 2018.


Cartoon Network HD

In September 2011, Cartoon Network HD launched on Sky. In January 2013, Cartoon Network HD launched on Virgin Media's cable TV platform.


Website

Cartoon Network UK had a website which launched in 1998 until it sunsetted in May 2025, with the domain redirected to .


Virgin On Demand service

In April 2007, Cartoon Network launched onto
Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...
'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.


Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (formerly Cartoon Network Studios Europe, Great Malbrough Productions, Inc. & Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe) is based in Shoreditch, London, located three miles away from Turner EMEA's headquarters. The studio was named after Great Marlborough Street where Turner Europe, Middle East and Africa's headquarters is located. The studio is the European equivalent to
Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios Inc. (abbreviated as CNS or CN Studios) is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the producti ...
based in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, USA. The studio was founded in 2007 and in 2011 it produced its first show, ''
The Amazing World of Gumball ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' (also known simply as ''Gumball'' or by its abbreviation ''TAWOG''; retitled ''The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball'' beginning with its The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, seventh season) is an animated si ...
'', created by
Ben Bocquelet Benjamin Bocquelet (born 27 June 1980) is a French animator, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the creator and executive producer of the Cartoon Network animated series ''The Amazing World of Gumball.'' He was also the director o ...
. Cartoon Network Europe has also been involved in other co-productions in the past such as ''
The Cramp Twins ''The Cramp Twins'' is an animated television series created by British cartoonist Brian Wood based on his 1995 graphic novel of the same name. The show was produced by Sunbow Entertainment (in season 1), Telemagination (in season 2), and TV-Lo ...
'', ''
Fat Dog Mendoza ''Fat Dog Mendoza'' is an animated television series produced by Sunbow Entertainment, Sony Wonder Television, and TMO-Loonland. The series is loosely based on a Dark Horse one-off comic book of the same name. The first Cartoon Network Europ ...
'', ''
Robotboy ''Robotboy'' is an animated television series that aired from 1 November 2005 to 27 September 2008 on Cartoon Network (British and Irish TV channel), Cartoon Network in the UK. In the United States, it aired on Cartoon Network, premiering on 14 ...
'', ''
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (also known as ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Inc.'' or simply ''Mystery Incorporated)'' is an American animated horror comedy television series serves as the eleventh incarnation of the ''Scooby-Doo'' media franch ...
'', '' Elfy Food'', ''
The Happos Family ''The Happos Family'' is a 3D CGI animated series developed by Patricia Hidalgo and produced by Ferrero, Spider Eye Productions, and Cyber Group Studios Cyber Group Studios (formerly Cyber Group Animation) was a French developer, producer and ...
'', '' Hero 108'', ''
Spaced Out ''Spaced Out'' (known in French as ''Allô la Terre, ici les Martin'') is an animated series, co-produced by Alphanim, Tooncan Productions and Cartoon Network Europe, in association with several other companies and television networks. The seri ...
'', ''
VBirds VBirds were a British virtual girl group, created in 2002 by a team of designers, producers and musicians. An animated television series of the same name, consisting of six one-minute episodes, aired on Cartoon Network between long-form progr ...
'', '' Cult Toons'', '' Taffy'', ''
Best Ed ''Best Ed'' is a Canadian animated television series created by Rick Marshall and developed by J.D. Smith. The show chronicles the adventures of an excessively helpful and enthusiastic dog named Ed who everyone adores, and his best friend, Doug t ...
'', ''
Chop Socky Chooks ''Chop Socky Chooks'' is an animated action television series produced by Aardman Animations, Decode Entertainment, and Cartoon Network Europe that ran on Cartoon Network from 7 March 2008 until 24 July 2009. It was created and directed by Ser ...
'', ''
Skatoony ''Skatoony'' (stylized as ''SkatoonY'') is a children's live-action animated game show, pitting live-action children against cartoon characters. The series was co-produced by Talent TV and FremantleMedia Animation (for the British version), Bli ...
'' and ''
The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe ''The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe'' (often shortened to ''Prince Ivandoe'' or just ''Ivandoe'') is an animated television series created by Eva Lee Wallberg and Christian Bøving-Andersen and co-created by Daniel Lennard for Carto ...
''. The studio has also produced animation for the
Malaria No More Malaria No More is a nonprofit organization that seeks to eradicate malaria. The organization has offices in the United States, as well as affiliates in India, Japan and the United Kingdom, and is known for its participation in the Idol Gives B ...
organisation. Originally, the studio's main focus was to produce animated shorts that could potentially become animated shows, this changed when production of ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' moved from
Boulder Media Boulder Media Limited is an Irish animation studio founded by filmmaker Robert Cullen in 2000. It is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian media company Princess Pictures, which purchased the company in 2022 from its previous owner ...
and Dandelion Studios and went in-house with Studio Soi offering support. In September 2018, Cartoon Network Studios Europe's London-based studio will start production on a new animated show, ''
Elliott from Earth ''Elliott from Earth'' is a British animated television series created by Guillaume Cassuto, Mic Graves and Tony Hull for Cartoon Network, and produced by Cartoon Network Studios Europe. The show follows an 11-year-old boy named Elliott and his ...
''. (As of July 2018)


2006 power outage

On the night of 26–27 July 2006, Cartoon Network, along with its sister channels suffered a major technical fault due to a power cut in Soho, London, owing to the
2006 European heatwave The 2006 European heat wave was a period of exceptionally hot weather that arrived at the end of June 2006 in certain European countries. The United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic ...
, with thunderstorms taking full force overnight. The power cut caused a mix up of Turner Broadcasting System Europe channels (i.e. Cartoon Network being broadcast on Boomerang and Toonami, with Boomerang being broadcast on Cartoon Network Too). Boomerang +1 was off air for some time, while TCM reverted between TCM France and other programming during the times it was able to provide a service. TCM 2 remained unaffected due to its downtime of timesharing. Most advertising was suspended and several of the channel websites were offline also. Those who could still receive the channels had a backup transmission played out, making people confused when Cartoon Network Too and Boomerang were showing episodes of The Flintstones at the same time. These backups where played out with a scrolling message which said "We apologise for the disruption to this programme due to technical problems and we are trying to correct the fault. We will resume normal programming as soon as possible" in multiple languages. Whilst most channels returned to the air within 5–10 minutes, it took longer for Cartoon Network Too to resume programming and it was also joked on various animation based forums by Toonami UK viewers, many of whom have made note of their disdain for the direction in which Turner took the brand in the UK, that the backup transmission was more entertaining, purely due to the lack of live action programming aired during the outage. The idents on Toonami which aired between shows during the black-out displayed the message "Sorry! Toonami is broken, we'll be right back as soon as we fix it.". These idents have since been re-used in disclaimers warning viewers not to try stunts on various shows at home.


Animated shorts

The studio has also produced animated shorts. Animated shorts produced by the studio include The Furry Pals, Mutant Moments, Hamshanks and the Himalolly Railway, Elliot's Zoo, Pinky Malinky and Verne on Vacation. The shorts were showcased in a similar way to
Cartoonstitute ''The Cartoonstitute'' was a planned Cartoon Network project created by Cartoon Network's executive Rob Sorcher that would have been a showcase for animated shorts created without the interference of network executives and focus testing. It was ...
by the American version of Cartoon Network. The videos were available to watch on the Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe YouTube channel which has since closed.


See also

*
Cartoon Network Too Cartoon Network Too (stylised CN Too) was a British television channel that was owned by Turner Broadcasting. CN Too was the sister station of Cartoon Network, and it often aired older programmes that previously aired on the main Cartoon Networ ...
*
Boomerang (UK & Ireland) Boomerang is a 24-hour, British pay television channel which primarily features classic and modern animated series from Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. Animation. The channel, launched on 27 May 2000, as a spin-off, of Cartoon Network and locali ...
*
Cartoonito (UK & Ireland) Cartoonito is a British pay television channel which targets children between the ages of 3 and 6. It is run by Warner Bros. Discovery under its International division. Unlike Cartoon Network and Boomerang, Cartoonito doesn't have a +1 timeshi ...
*
Cartoonito (brand) Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and programming blocks aimed at preschool children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish suffix "ito", meaning "small". , Cartoonito ...
* CNX *
Toonami (UK & Ireland) Toonami was a British children's channel which aired from September 2003 to May 2007. History As CNX Toonami was a programming block on Cartoon Network (UK & Ireland), Cartoon Network, until June 2002 when its programming was moved to the s ...
*
Turner Broadcasting System Europe Warner Bros. Discovery Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. The division is responsible for managing the collection of their cable and satellite networks around the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions ...


References


External links

*
Official Laughternoons website

Turner employment and information website
{{Authority control Television channels in the United Kingdom Television channels and stations established in 1993 1993 establishments in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
Turner Broadcasting System UK & Ireland Children's television networks Children's television channels in the United Kingdom English-language television stations in the United Kingdom English-language television stations in Ireland Television stations in Malta Television stations in Ireland Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA