Cartoon Network (Middle Eastern and African TV channel)

(Redirected from Cartoon Network (Middle East and Africa))
This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 18 October 2024.

Cartoon Network is one of two digital children's television channels that air animated series: Cartoon Network MENA (formerly known as Cartoon Network EMEA), which serves the Middle East and North Africa division along with Greece and Cyprus; and Cartoon Network Africa, which exclusively serves Sub-Saharan Africa. Both feeds are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery under its International division.

Cartoon Network
Third and current logo, used since 7 December 2010
Broadcast areaMiddle East (MENA feed)
North Africa (MENA feed)
Sub-Saharan Africa (African feed)
Greece and Cyprus (MENA feed)
HeadquartersTurner House, Great Marlborough Street, London
Programming
Language(s)English (Africa and MENA feeds)
Arabic (MENA feed only)
Greek (MENA feed in Cyprus, subtitles only)
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery EMEA
Sister channelsCartoonito
TNT Africa
CNN International
Cartoon Network Arabic
Cartoon Network Hindi
Boing
Discovery Channel
Discovery Family
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
TLC
Food Network
Travel Channel
History
Launched17 September 1993; 31 years ago (1993-09-17) (as Cartoon Network Europe)
15 October 1999; 25 years ago (15 October 1999) (as independent feed)
1 July 2016; 8 years ago (2016-07-01) (launch of Cartoon Network Africa)
Former namesCartoon Network EMEA (1999–2011)
Cartoon Network Pan-Feed (2011–2020)
Cartoon Network Pan-European (2020–2021)
Links
WebsiteMENA language-switcher site (in English and Arabic)
Middle East website (in English)
Africa website
Greece website
Availability
Terrestrial
DStvChannel 301 (Cartoon Network Africa)
GOtvChannel 67 (Cartoon Network Africa)
AzamTVChannel 226 (Cartoon Network Africa)

The network began as part of the larger UK/pan-European service on 17 September 1993; the UK branch would separate itself in October 1999, but kept a nearly identical schedule until August 2001.

Cartoon Network EMEA used to share channel space with TNT Africa; the latter would air from 21:00 to 06:00 CET, while the former would run for the rest of the day.

On 1 July 2016, an HD feed on beIN known as Cartoon Network MENA was launched, replacing Cartoon Network Africa in the MENA region. It features both English and Arabic audio tracks. In addition to being offered by various Gulf IPTV providers (as well as Cablevision in Lebanon and most Cypriot TV providers except for Nova), Cartoon Network MENA also has a different management team, different branding and a fully separate schedule from Cartoon Network Africa.

History

edit
 
First logo, used from 17 September 1993 to 20 April 2006.

Since September 17, 1993, Cartoon Network Europe has been broadcasting from the Astra 1C satellites for Central Europe and Intelsat 707 for Eastern Europe. Broadcasting was carried out from 5:00 to 19:00, and the TNT UK channel was broadcast in the evening.[1][2][3] Initially, the channel was legally called Cartoon Network Europe, and it also featured several soundtracks in the following languages: English, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, French and Italian.[4][5][6][7]

At first, Cartoon Network broadcast cartoons from Warner Bros, MGM and Hanna-Barbera, such as: Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Tom and Jerry. A few years later, he began broadcasting his own animated series: The Powerpuff Girls,Dexter's Laboratory, etc. As a result, most of the programs from Warner Bros were relegated to the background, and the original animated series took up most of the air.

In August 1996, Cartoon Network increased the broadcast time to 21:00, and in December of the same year switched to round-the-clock broadcasting.[8]

On October 15, 1999, Cartoon Network Europe was renamed Cartoon Network UK, and became available only for the UK, Ireland and Malta. The TV channel switched to paid TV broadcasting, and was encrypted on Astra 1C using VideoCrypt. For Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Cartoon Network EMEA[9] was launched, which was free and transitional, as Warner began to localize its channels across Europe.[10][11] Cartoon Network EMEA copied Cartoon Network UK schedule until 2001, but there were exceptions: shows such as Dragon Ball Z and Angela Anaconda were not broadcast, as there were no pan-European broadcast rights.[12]

Cartoon Network was made available in Israel in 2000. Cable operator Matav and satellite operator Yes started carrying the channel in June 2000, followed by Tevel in early May 2001 and Golden Channels at the middle of the month. All of the programming was in English with no translation in Hebrew.[13] Following the closure of the localized Dutch feed on 1 August 2001, it was replaced by the EMEA feed.[12]

In April 2005, Cartoon Network was completely dubbed into Russian,[14][15] and Greek subtitles were added on 20 June 2005.

 
Second logo, used from 21 April 2006 to 6 December 2010.

HOT removed Cartoon Network on 26 November 2005 after accusations from Turner that the company's offerings were "cheap and recycled", and that Cartoon Network didn't invest in the Israeli market to remain competitive. The removal of the Tom and Jerry theatricals in June that year, one of the most popular shows on the channel in Israel at the time, led to a downfall in viewers.[16] The channel was later removed from Yes on 28 December 2009, being replaced by JimJam, and as consequence the channel (but not the brand) was withdrawn from the Israeli market.[17]


In 2011, Cartoon Network EMEA was renamed to Cartoon Network Pan Feed.[18][19]

Cartoon Network switched to widescreen on 6 October 2014, and also rebranded with the CHECK It 3.0 graphics package on that same day.

On July 1, 2016, Cartoon Network Pan Feed was launched in the MENA region, which replaced the African channel in the Arab world, broadcasting in 1080i HD with a soundtrack in Arabic.[20] The channel has a different schedule, program composition and censorship rules (sometimes scenes that are not affected in the Arabic feed are edited). It is also offered with Greek subtitles in Cyprus.[21]

Cartoon Network MENA's English-language website can be found at CartoonNetworkME.com, Another site, CartoonNetworkMENA.com, launched around the same time and serves as a hub where users can choose between the English- or Arabic-language versions.

Since November 10, 2020, Boomerang has received a Czech license (RRTV) in order to ensure the continuation of legal broadcasting in the European Union in accordance with the EU Directive on Audiovisual Media Services (AVMSD) and the law on the single market after the UK leaves the European Union. Since the Czech Republic has minimum broadcasting rules, it was chosen for licensing purposes in the EU. Cartoon Network Pan Feed was renamed Cartoon Network Pan-European, and later renamed Cartoon Network MENA again.[22][23][24] Broadcasting center of the TV channel is still located in London

In an interview with C21 in May 2021, WarnerMedia EMEA mentioned that they're looking to add programs for girls and family which consist of live-action and animated series.[25]

Sister channels

edit

Boing

edit

Boing is a television channel that airs repeats of programs formerly seen on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It launched on 30 May 2015, as the fourth extension of Turner's larger Boing brand.

Cartoonito

edit

Cartoonito is a television channel that airs cartoons for preschoolers. Two versions of the channel exist; one for the Arab World, Greece and Cyprus (Cartoonito MENA), and another for Sub-Saharan Africa (Cartoonito Africa). It originally launched on 5 June 2005 as Boomerang EMEA.

On 1 July 2016, Boomerang MENA was launched, replacing the African feed in the Middle East and North Africa;[20] it airs in 1080i with English and Arabic audio tracks on beIN,[20] and is also available in Greece and Cyprus, albeit with a Greek audio track.

The morning Cartoonito block, which was previously featured between 2011 and 2014, was relaunched on 4 April 2022.[26] On 25 March 2023, the African channel rebranded to Cartoonito completely,[27] with the MENA channel following suit on 4 September.[28]

Toonami

edit

Toonami is a television channel catered towards young adults consisting of DC animation from Batman, Superman and Young Justice. It launched in 2017 on Kwesé TV until the platform went defunct in 2019. Then it was made available on Cell C's defunct streaming service Black for that same year.

In March 2020, the channel was revived as a 2-month pop-up channel on DStv thereafter it was made available full-time on the StarTimes platform after its closure. As of March 2021, Toonami can also be found on Canal+, Intelvision, Azam TV and Zuku TV.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Rosenbaum, Martin (28 July 1993). "Media: American invaders are targeting your kids: Children's rights and non-stop cartoons will do battle as US cable channels vie for British viewers". The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Спутниковое телевидение: каждый в своей тарелке". Коммерсантъ. 1996-10-30. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  3. ^ "Империя Теда Тернера". old.telesputnik.ru. 1996-07-07. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  4. ^ "Timeline: Turner Broadcasting System Europe LTD". europe.turnerinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2021-02-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Theatrum mundi". Коммерсантъ. 1993-03-27. Archived from the original on 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  6. ^ ""Мы присутствуем на российском рынке с начала 90-х..."". ТВ Дайджест. 2009-09-04. Archived from the original on 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  7. ^ "Cartoon Net UK Courts Kids". European Media Business & Finance. 8 (18). Phillips Business Information Corporation. 7 September 1998. OCLC 60621194.
  8. ^ "Timeline: Turner Broadcasting System Europe LTD". Turner Broadcasting System Europe. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  9. ^ "ITC Licencees: Cable and Satellite Broadband Operator". Archived from the original on 2002-08-21.
  10. ^ "Technical Changes To Cartoon Network and TNT Classic Movies (Archived by WayBack Machine: 27 Nov 1999)". Cartoon Network UK Website. Turner Broadcasting System Europe. Archived from the original on 26 August 2001. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  11. ^ "Transponder News". Stefan Hagedorn. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Cartoon Network Nederland stopt 1 augustus". Radio.nl. July 30, 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014.
  13. ^ "ערוצי זהב תחל לשדר את TCM ו-Cartoon Network". TheMarker. 2001-05-07. Archived from the original on 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  14. ^ "CARTOON NETWORK на русском языке с 1 апреля на 100%". Sostav.ru. February 21, 2005.
  15. ^ "Cartoon Network to Speak Russian". Animation Magazine. February 22, 2005.
  16. ^ ""הערוצים של טרנר ממוחזרים ויקרים"". HaAretz. 2005-11-30. Archived from the original on 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  17. ^ "yes השיקה הערוץ ג'ים ג'ם ללימוד אנגלית". EDB.co.il. 2009-12-29. Archived from the original on 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  18. ^ "Licence Details for Cartoon Network (EMEA)". Archived from the original on 2010-08-15.
  19. ^ "Ofcom | Cable and Satellite TV Channels". Archived from the original on 2011-01-17.
  20. ^ a b c "Cartoon Network MENA and Boomerang MENA Launch on beIN, Also in HD". RegularCapital. July 2, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  21. ^ "Cartoon Network News in Brief - Mid-September 2016". RegularCapital. September 19, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  22. ^ "Ofcom | TV Cable and Satellite".
  23. ^ "Mavise".
  24. ^ https://www.rrtv.cz/files/lic/l1112869.pdf
  25. ^ WarnerMedia eyes preschool originals
  26. ^ "Hello, Cartoonito! Coming in April to Boomerang Africa!". BoomerangAfrica. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  27. ^ "Cartoonito | Games, Videos & Downloads". BOOMERANG. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  28. ^ "Boomerang MENA se může změnit na Cartoonito MENA". 22 June 2023.
edit