Cartoon Network

**Cartoon Network** (**CN**) is an American cable television channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on October 1, 1992.

Founded by Betty Cohen (who was also appointed by Ted Turner as the first president of the network), the channel primarily broadcasts animated television series, mostly children's programming, ranging from action to animated comedy. It currently runs from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET/PT daily, though the sign-off time varies with holidays and special programming. Cartoon Network primarily targets children aged 6 to 12, while its early morning block Cartoonito is aimed at preschool-aged children, and evening block Adult Swim targets young adults aged 18 to 34.

As of November 2023, Cartoon Network is available to approximately 66 million pay television households in the United States — down from its peak of 100 million households in 2011.

## 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. On October 8, 1988, its cable channel Turner Network Television was launched and gained an audience with its extensive film library. In 1991, Turner also purchased the library of animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Ted Turner selected Betty Cohen (then-Senior Vice President of TNT) to devise a network to house these programs. On February 18, 1992, Turner Broadcasting announced its plans to launch Cartoon Network as an outlet for an animation library. 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 (not counting Sesame Street), and _Small World_ an anthology TV series. Turner Broadcasting System merged with Time Warner, which consolidated/reverted ownership of all the Warner Bros. cartoons. The network could then continue more original productions.

## Production company

**Cartoon Network Studios** is an production company. It was founded in 1994.

## Related pages

- List of programs broadcast by Cartoon Network

## Other websites

- Official Site

## Infobox (television channel)

- **name**: Cartoon Network
- **logo**: Cartoon Network 2010 logo.svg
- **logo caption**: Logo used since 2010
- **picture format**: 1080i High-definition television, HDTV

- **country**: United States
- **owner**: Warner Bros. Discovery
- **parent**: The Cartoon Network, Inc.
- **area**: Nationwide
- **availability note**:

- **sat serv 2**: Dish Network
- **sat chan 2**: Channel 176 (East)
Channel 177 (West)
- **sat serv 3**: DirecTV
- **sat chan 3**: Channel 296 (East)
Channel 297 (West)
Channel 1296
 (Video on demand, VOD)
- **sat serv 4**: C band
- **cable serv 1**: Available on most cable providers
- **cable chan 1**: Channel slots vary on each system
- **iptv serv 1**: CenturyLink Prism
- **iptv serv 2**: Google Fiber
- **iptv chan 2**: Channel 351
- **iptv serv 3**: Verizon FiOS
- **iptv serv 4**: U-verse TV
- **online chan 1**: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV
- **logofile**: Cartoon Network 2010 logo.png