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Cartoon Network (Australia and New Zealand)

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Cartoon Network Australia & New Zealand
CountryAustralia
Broadcast areaOceania (including Australia and New Zealand)
HeadquartersSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Programming
Language(s)English
Māori
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 576i for the Australian feed)
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific
(Warner Bros. Discovery International)
Sister channelsBoomerang
CNN International Asia Pacific
History
Launched30 June 1995; 29 years ago (1995-06-30)
(as a part of the Cartoon Network Asia service)
3 October 1995; 29 years ago (1995-10-03)
(Localized feed for Australian and New Zealand television)
Closed13 May 2025; 6 days ago (2025-05-13)
(Australia only)
Availability
Streaming media
Foxtel Go
(AU)		Channel 713
Binge (AU)binge.com.au
Sky Go
(NZ)		skygo.co.nz

Cartoon Network Australia & New Zealand is an Australian pay television channel broadcast as a local feed of its American counterpart. launched on 3 October 1995, and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific. It primarily shows animated programming.

The channel began broadcasting as a part of the Cartoon Network Asia service on 30 June 1995. It was later separated from the broader pan-Asian service on 3 October 1995.

History

[edit]

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 1997, 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).

In April 2004, the channel was added to TransTV.[1] 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.[2]

In February 2008, Adult Swim relaunched on The Comedy Channel airing shows such as Robot Chicken and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The network transitioned to a widescreen format presentation on 30 November 2010, ahead of a deadline by Foxtel to do so.

On 7 February 2017, Cartoon Network Australia announced an exclusive video on-demand content deal with the streaming service Stan. As part of the deal, episodes from some shows such as Adventure Time and The Powerpuff Girls will premiere on Stan at the same time as the Cartoon Network Australia channel.[3]

On 22 April 2021, the channel was discontinued on Fetch TV, alongside its sister channel Boomerang.[4] Its removal led to a campaign initiated by Fetch upon losing its rights, later justifying the accessibility of CNN content on its official website. After that date, the channels were exclusive to Foxtel.[5]

The network, along with Boomerang, closed in Australia on 13 May 2025.[6] Regarding the closure of the channel, a Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson stating "this much-loved content is now available on our streaming service Max, which Foxtel subscribers have included in their subscription".[7]

Programming

[edit]
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Cartoon Network (Australia and New Zealand)

Logo history

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  • 3 October 1995 – 16 August 2005
    3 October 1995 – 16 August 2005
  • 16 August 2005 – 1 October 2011
    16 August 2005 – 1 October 2011

Program blocks

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Current

[edit]

Cartoonito

[edit]

Cartoonito launched on 4 July 2022; a Cartoonito Play Zone was held at Federation Square between 7 and 9 July, as a launch event.[8][9]

Former

[edit]

Adult Swim

[edit]
Main article: Adult Swim (Australian TV programming block)

A time block suited for mature audience, targeting adults at least 17 years old and above. The anime block aired from Monday to Thursday and started at 10:00pm and ended at 12:00am. The comedy block aired on Fridays and Saturdays and started at 10:30 pm and ended at 12:00 am with an encore till 1:30. Before the block was ceased Squidbillies also premiered with a special disclaimer about the content, as did most of the anime.

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.[10]

Toonami

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Main article: Toonami (Australian TV programming block)

Toonami (a portmanteau of words cartoon and tsunami) launched in July 2001 and ran until August 2006. It was a block for action animation, which mostly consisted of anime and occasionally carried American cartoons, such as Batman Beyond.

Boomerang

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Main article: Boomerang (Australian TV channel)
Logo of Boomerang

Prior to becoming a standalone channel on March 14, 2004, Boomerang was its own block dedicated to older Hanna-Barbera cartoons launched in 1995.

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. In late 2012, it received the looks of Boomerang's UK feed.

References

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  1. ^ "TransACT to offer more free, pay-television channels". Canberra Times. 13 April 2004. p. 5.
  2. ^ [1] Archived 28 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Cartoon Network Australia Signs Deal With Stan VOD Service". RegularCapital: Cartoon Network International News Blog. Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific (Press Release). Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. ^ Knox, David (19 March 2021). "Fetch TV losing CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang". TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  5. ^ "FETCH commences viral complaint campaign after loss of CNN and CARTOON NETWORK". TV Blackbox. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Warner Bros. Discovery kids' channels to leave FOXTEL in May". TV Blackbox. 15 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  7. ^ Knox, David (14 May 2025). "Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels close". TV Tonight. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Preschool Brand 'Cartoonito' Launches on Cartoon Network in Asia". Google Docs. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  9. ^ Perry, Kevin (4 July 2022). "Brand new block of dedicated kids preschool programming CARTOONITO launches this week on FOXTEL". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  10. ^ Adult Swim
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