Cartoon NetworkThis article is about an American TV channel. For international feeds, see Cartoon Network (disambiguation).
 Logo used since May 29, 2010 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English Spanish (with SAP, a Spanish language simulcast of the channel is also available on some providers) |
| Picture format |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Parent | The Cartoon Network, Inc. |
| Sister channels | show List |
| History | |
| Launched | October 1, 1992 |
| Former names | The Cartoon Network (1992–1995) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Cartoonito, Adult Swim, and Toonami under its purview.
Founded by Ted Turner (who appointed Betty Cohen as the first president of the network),[1] the channel was launched on October 1, 1992, and primarily broadcasts animated television series, mostly children's programming, ranging from action to animated comedy. It currently runs from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET/PT on weekdays and 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET/PT on weekends. Cartoon Network primarily targets children aged 6–14, while its early morning Cartoonito block is aimed at preschoolers and kindergarteners aged 2–6,[2] and the channel shares channel space with its sister network Adult Swim, which targets older teenagers and young adults, 18–34.[3]
Cartoon Network offers an alternate Spanish-language audio feed, either via a separate channel with the English audio track removed as part of a package of Spanish-language television networks sold by subscription providers, or a separate audio track accessible through the SAP option, depending on the provider.
History
On August 9, 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.[5] On October 8, 1988, its cable channel Turner Network Television was launched and gained an audience with its extensive film library.[6] In 1991, Turner also purchased the library of animation studio Hanna-Barbera.[7][8] Ted Turner selected Betty Cohen (then-Senior Vice President of TNT) to devise a network to house these programs.[1] On February 18, 1992, Turner Broadcasting announced its plans to launch Cartoon Network as an outlet for an animation library.[9] On October 1, 1992, the network officially launched as the first 24-hour single-genre cable channel with animation as its main theme. The continuity announcers would call it "The Cartoon Network," until 1995, when it was simply dubbed Cartoon Network as it is today.
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. In 1996, Cartoon Network aired two programs: Big Bag, a live-action/puppet show produced by Children's Television Workshop, and Small World an anthology TV series. Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner,[10] which consolidated/reverted ownership of all the Warner Bros. cartoons. The network could then continue more original productions.
Other services
| Description | Service |
|---|---|
 | The network is available in 1080i high-definition on nearly all providers, and HD operations launched on October 15, 2007. Many subscription providers carry the high definition feed and downscale it for the standard definition feed. Cartoon Network’s standard-definition feed uses a downscaled version of the high-definition feed, which is broadcast in 16:9 letterboxed to fit the 4:3 ratio. |
| Cartoon Network on Demand | Cartoon Network on Demand is a video on demand service on cable and satellite providers which launched in 2002. |
| Move It Movement | Move It Movement (formerly Get Animated until 2010) is a campaign of the channel, encouraging children to get active, more importantly in outdoor areas.[27] The program is designed "to provide support and encouragement in the ongoing battle against childhood obesity."[28] The Get Animated campaign was launched on February 28, 2005.[29] |
| HBO Max | HBO Max (launched May 2020) is a subscription video-on-demand service of Warner Bros. Discovery. Cartoon Network content makes up one of the 'hubs' on the HBO Max services. |