This is an accepted version of this page
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| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Oceania (includingAustralia andNew Zealand) |
| Headquarters | Sydney,New South Wales,Australia |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English Māori |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to576i for the Australian feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific (Warner Bros. Discovery International) |
| Sister channels | Boomerang CNN International Asia Pacific |
| History | |
| Launched | 30 June 1995; 30 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) |
| Closed | 13 May 2025; 2 months ago (2025-05-13) (Australia only) |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Binge(AU) | binge.com.au |
| Sky Go (NZ) | skygo.co.nz |
Cartoon Network Australia & New Zealand is an Australianpay television channel broadcast as a local feed of itsAmerican counterpart. launched on 3 October 1995, and owned byWarner Bros. Discovery Asia-Pacific. It primarily shows animated programming.
The channel began broadcasting as a part of theCartoon Network Asia service on 30 June 1995. It was later separated from the broader pan-Asian service on 3 October 1995.
Cartoon Network started its broadcast in Australia in 1995 as the dual-channel TNT & Cartoon Network as part of theFoxtel cable TV launch, operating from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., withTurner Classic Movies (formerlyTNT) taking the remainder of the daily schedule. It also joinedOptus Vision, with the provider signing a carriage contract in late June 1995.[1] On 1 July 1997, Cartoon Network Australia became a separate 24-hour channel. It originally aired onlyHanna-Barbera cartoons such asYogi Bear,Top Cat,The Flintstones etc. The channel quickly started to develop though, airing for the first time MGM cartoons (Tom and Jerry,Droopy, andSpike and Tyke) on 1 January 1996, and (afterTime 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 andThe Moxy Show). At the time, it was added to Northgate Communications in Ballarat.[2]
In April 2004, the channel was added toTransTV.[3] Cartoon Network had, up until mid-2004, been tied with theDisney 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 toBoomerang. Cartoon Network had slipped to second spot among Australian family networks behind theDisney Channel.[4]
In February 2008,Adult Swim relaunched onThe Comedy Channel airing shows such asRobot Chicken andHarvey 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 serviceStan. As part of the deal, episodes from some shows such asAdventure Time andThe Powerpuff Girls will premiere on Stan at the same time as the Cartoon Network Australia channel.[5]
On 22 April 2021, the channel was discontinued on Fetch TV, alongside its sister channelBoomerang.[6] 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.[7]
The channel, along with Boomerang, closed in Australia on 13 May 2025 after the removal fromFoxtel.[8] Regarding the closure of the channel, aWarner Bros. Discovery spokesperson stated "The Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels have now closed. This much-loved content is now available on our streaming serviceMax, which Foxtel subscribers have included in their subscription".[9]
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Cartoonito launched on 4 July 2022; a Cartoonito Play Zone was held at Federation Square between 7 and 9 July, as a launch event.[10][11]
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 ceasedSquidbillies 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 onThe Comedy Channel withHarvey Birdman andAqua Teen Hunger Force as well as the premiere ofRobot Chicken andMoral 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 withAqua Teen,Harvey Birdman andRobot Chicken in 2007. It has since released most volumes of every series that has a DVD, including future releases.[12]
Toonami (a portmanteau of wordscartoon andtsunami) launched in July 2001 and ran until August 2006. It was a block for action animation, which mostly consisted ofanime and occasionally carried American cartoons, such asBatman Beyond.
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 channelBoomerang was originally a Cartoon Network block for the lesser-knownHanna-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 ofBoomerang's UK feed.
Cartoon Network portal
Animation portal
Television portal
Australia portal
New Zealand portal
Comedy portalCartoon Network on YouTube
Cartoon Network on YouTubeDivision ofWarner Bros. Discovery | |
| Channels & blocks (U.S.) | |
| International channels | |
| Cartoonito | |
| Boomerang | |
| Studios & Streaming | |
| Albums | |
| Defunct | |
| See also |
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| Notes | |
