 Logo used since 2023 | |
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Toronto,Ontario |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to480iletterbox for theSDTV feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment (branding licensed fromWarner Bros. Discovery) |
| Parent | Teletoon Canada Inc. |
| Sister channels | Télétoon Adult Swim Boomerang |
| History | |
| Launched | October 17, 1997; 28 years ago (1997-10-17)(as Teletoon) March 27, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-03-27)(as Cartoon Network) |
| Former names | Teletoon (1997–2023) |
| Links | |
| Website | cartoonnetwork.ca |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| StackTV | Internet Protocol television |
Cartoon Network (formelyTeletoon) is aCanadianEnglish-languagediscretionaryspecialty channel owned byCorus Entertainment. Based on theU.S. cable network of the same name, it primarily broadcastsanimated series aimed at children and teenagers.
The channel launched on October 17, 1997 asTeletoon (its name being a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon"), a bilingual service originally owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc. – a consortium ofWestern International Communications andAstral Media (via their specialty channelFamily Channel),Shaw Communications (via its specialty channelYTV), and the animation studiosCinar andNelvana. With subsequent acquisitions and divestments, Corus became the sole owner of the channel in 2014. Teletoon historically aired a mix ofdomestic productions and imported series, with many of the latter coming from the American Cartoon Network.
In 2012, Teletoon launched aCanadian version of Cartoon Network as a sister network under license fromTurner Broadcasting. In February 2023, Corus announced that Teletoon would rebrand as a new iteration of Cartoon Network on March 27, 2023, with the previous Cartoon Network channel concurrently relaunching under Cartoon Network's own sister brandBoomerang.
Cartoon Network operates two timeshift feeds running onEastern andPacific schedules. Along with its French-language counterpartTélétoon, it is available in over 7.3 million households in Canada as of November 2013.[1]
YTV was originally intended to be the Canadian distributor of Cartoon Network, applying for a licence at theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in late 1992. The original target was to launch the channel in late 1993 at earliest. The arrival came at a time when US cable networks were beginning to encroach Canadian cable, which, according to YTV's president Kevin Shea, could open new avenues for Canadian producers.[2] By early 1994, the planned Cartoon Network distribution licence was replaced by a new project, Fun TV. The new network was supposed to be owned by Rogers and CUC, owners of YTV, animation studiosNelvana andCinar and the Toronto-Dominion Bank. The Cartoon Network output would later be given to another proposal owned by the backers of Family Channel.[3]
A new proposal was mooted in January 1996. 53.3% would be owned by the backers of Family Channel, 26,7% by YTV and 10% each byCinar andNelvana, who had supported Fun TV. It promised to spend CA$42 million on Canadian animated productions over a seven-year period.[4] The bid was not comparable to the US Cartoon Network, justifying that Turner's channel was attached toHanna-Barbera's library and was mainly seen as nostalgia, according to Nelvana's chair Michael Hirsh. The new channel would cave some nostalgia, but would concentrate on newer titles, with emphasis on productions from all over the world. There would also be Japanese animation and adult animated titles, comparable toFritz the Cat, at night.[5] Regulations suggested that it would cater to children from 6am to 6pm (commercial-free 3pm-6pm), families from 6pm to 10:30pm (including one animated movie during prime time) and a nightly news magazine about animation.[6]
On September 3, 1996,[7] Teletoon was one of the 23 licensed channels to be approved by the CRTC,[8][9] after a related application for a channel to be called "Fun TV" had been denied.[10] The channel was part of the "Gang of Four", referring to the first four of the 23 channels (the other three beingCTV News 1,History Television andThe Comedy Network) set to launch. These channels were already negotiating pricing conditions with the cable companies.[11] The English-language version of Teletoon launched on October 17, 1997.[12][13] The channel was originally owned by a consortium of other Canadian specialty services, includingFamily Channel acting as managing partner at 53.3% (Superchannel/WIC andThe Movie Network/Astral Media),YTV at 26.7%, (Shaw Communications), along with the Canadian animation studiosCinar andNelvana with 10% each.[14] Shaw spun off its entertainment assets asCorus Entertainment in 1999, which subsequently acquired WIC's stake in Family Channel among other assets as part of its breakup later that year,[15][16] Corus acquired Nelvana in 2000.[17]
Teletoon was licensed as a bilingual service in bothEnglish andFrench, being one of only two Canadian specialty services with such a license;[18] the channel maintains two feeds under the license, with the French feed operating under the brandingTélétoon. At the original licensing hearing before the CRTC, the network's operators had stated that the two channels "would be similar in nature and programmed with a similar attitude towards them", but that there may be differences in their programming due to market differences (including Quebec's prohibition onadvertising to children) and program rights.[9] To this end, Teletoon often commissioned programming to air in both English and French whenever possible.[19]
As a condition of the license, Teletoon committed to devoting 40% of its programming toCanadian content in its first year of operation, gradually increasing by five per cent yearly to 60% by 2002. Over a similar timeframe, it also committed to similarly have at least half of its programming financed by, and commissioned from third parties unaffiliated with its owners.[9]
In 1998, network management decided to focus on renewals instead of new shows—adopting a more cautious strategy than launching a significant number of new series, as it had in the prior year.[20] By 2001, the channel had invested over $96 million into 98 original productions since its launch; Teletoon's director of original programming Madeleine Levesque stated that "I don't think any other broadcaster has contributed so much, so well, so fast."[21]
On March 4, 2013, Corus Entertainment announced that it would acquire Astral's stake in Teletoon, giving it full ownership. The sale was part of divestitures tied to Astral Media's proposed sale toBell Media, which had earlier been rejected by the CRTC in October 2012 for competition reasons.[22] Corus's purchase was cleared by theCompetition Bureau two weeks later on March 18;[23] the transaction was approved by the CRTC on December 20, 2013,[24] and completed on January 1, 2014.[25] The channel was subsequently brought under the new Corus Kids division as part of a reorganization in February 2014, alongside YTV and Nelvana. Teletoon and its sister networks would maintain separate management from YTV.[26][27]
On February 21, 2023, Corus announced that Teletoon would be rebranded as Cartoon Network on March 27, 2023; theexisting Cartoon Network channel concurrently relaunched under Cartoon Network's sibling brandBoomerang (which will be devoted to library programming and classic franchises); the Teletoon brand would continue to be used for its companion streaming serviceTeletoon+, andits French-language feed.[28][29]
As Teletoon, the channel's license originally required that 90% of all programs on the channel be animated.[9] Teletoon previously aired preschool-oriented programming, which was day-parted from 4:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.[30] At its inception in 1996, Teletoon had a stated goal of producing 78 half-hours of original content every year, and it has been active in commissioning programming since then.[31]
Since its inception, the channel has acquired numerous television series from the U.S.-basedCartoon Network and its late night block,Adult Swim. From September 1, 2015, to Fall 2016, original programming from the American channel was moved over to its Canadian counterpart.[32] Around the same time, several "retro" programs airing onTeletoon Retro, which closed down on the same date, began airing on Teletoon.[33] Teletoon would also premiere new original programming from Cartoon Network's sister channel,Boomerang.
On April 1, 2019, the channel discontinued its adult programming following the relaunch ofAction as a full-time Adult Swim channel.[34]
Initially, Teletoon's programming was divided into dayparted blocks, each featuring a different style of animation. Each blocks were represented as planets:[37]
The bumpers were made byCuppa Coffee Studios.
This branding would be discontinued and replaced by a more generic look in mid-August 1998, and begin using the slogan, “It's Unreal!” (or “Imagine!” in the French feed). In 1999, Teletoon was airing bumpers with its first mascot, "Teletina".[38][39] These bumpers were made by Spin Productions in Toronto.
The channel's on-air appearance was revamped to a more “cartoony”-style in 2001. The logo was modified slightly and came in different coloured border variations, and in addition, a new alternate logo was introduced, consisting of a wordmark of the channel's name in a custom font.[40] This wordmark would serve as the channel's secondary logo for its programming blocks and certain graphic presentations, while the original logo would be the primary logo for its corporate material and overall brand representation. Several more bumpers using CGI animation made byGuru Studio[41] subsequently premiered on the channel during this period.
An updated look for the channel was unveiled, no longer featuring the original logo (and fully utilizing the wordmark),[42] for a partial rebranding made by the Montreal-based Buzz Image Group on August 29, 2005.[43] Despite this, the original logo would still be used in some form up until 2007, most notably as a production logo and also on their website.
On February 5, 2007, the channel's wordmark was removed and the original logo was officially replaced as part of a major rebrand. Teletoon's website and its on-air appearance were dramatically changed, and the overall aesthetic of both the channel and its bumpers were immensely modernized.
On September 5, 2011, to reflect the channel's transition todigital television, the logo was refined and changed to a more three-dimensional appearance, designed by New York-based design agency Trollbäck & Company.
On November 24, 2000, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved multiple applications from Teletoon Canada Inc. to launch sixCategory 2 television channels named Teletoon Action, Teletoon Adult, Teletoon Art, Teletoon Multi, Teletoon Pop and Teletoon Retro.[44] None of the channels launched and their broadcast licenses expired on November 24, 2004.[45] The Teletoon Retro concept would later be revived under a different license.
Télétoon is the French-language counterpart which broadcasts most of the shows from Cartoon Network in French.
On November 4, 2011, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved an application from Teletoon to launch Teletoon Kapow!, aCategory Bdigital cable and satellite channel devoted "programming from international markets, featuring the latest trends in non-violent action, adventure, superheroes, comedy and interactivity."[46] On February 2, 2012, Teletoon announced that it would launch a localCartoon Network channel in Canada.[47] It debuted using the Teletoon Kapow! license on July 4, 2012.[48]
As of September 1, 2015, Cartoon Network operates under the broadcast license originally granted for Teletoon Retro.[26] Corus then had the Teletoon Kapow! license revoked on October 2, 2015.[49]
Concurrent with the rebranding of Teletoon itself as Cartoon Network, the original Cartoon Network channel was relaunched as a Canadian version ofBoomerang.
Teletoon+ is asubscription video on demand service which launched September 1, 2022 onAmazon Prime Video Channels, replacing Corus's previous Nick+ service (which was a streaming counterpart to itsNickelodeon channel). The service features exclusive content acquired fromCartoon Network andWarner Bros. Animation.[50]
Teletoon Retro was aCategory Bdigital cable and satellite channel that debuted in fall 2007, and was named after a program block that featured classic animated series. Shows seen on the channel includedThe Tom and Jerry Show,The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show,Scooby-Doo,The Flintstones,The Raccoons,The Jetsons,The Pink Panther,Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,Inspector Gadget, andGumby.
The channel was discontinued on September 1, 2015, withDisney Channel (onBell Aliant,Bell Satellite TV,EastLink,Telus Optik TV,VMedia,Vidéotron,MTS,Bell Fibe TV,NorthernTel,Novus, andZazeen), orCartoon Network (onShaw Direct/Shaw Cable,Rogers Cable,SaskTel and many independent providers) taking over its slot on several aforementioned providers. In the years since, Teletoon has aired classic programming during non-peak viewing hours.
PRE-SCHOOL Mon-Fri 4:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Division ofWarner Bros. Discovery | |
| Channels & blocks (U.S.) | |
| International |
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| Cartoonito | |
| Studios & Streaming | |
| Albums | |
| Defunct | |
| See also |
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