The CNX daytime anime programming block, Toonami, has become so popular in Europe that the third kid's animation channel from the Cartoon Network stable will be rebranding under that name in September 2003.
The Toonami concept began as a programming block on Cartoon Network and was then expanded into the daytime hours on CNX. Shows like DRAGONBALL Z and X-MEN: EVOLUTION have consistently been amongst the highest rated cartoons with boys 10 to 15, the target audience for the new channel.
"As a daytime block, Toonami has been so successful that in order to maximize its potential we have decided to re-brand the CNX channel and move it into the kids' EPG alongside Cartoon Network and Boomerang," said Tina McCann, svp/gm Turner Broadcasting in Europe.
Turner's "family" strategy has already made Cartoon Network and Boomerang the number one rated channels for kids in 2003, according to TBE. In the last 12 months, Boomerang has doubled its ratings while Cartoon Network moved to pole position as the number one channel for kids. "We recognize that different groups of kids watch different kinds of cartoons; Toonami is just like adding a boys playroom to the family home," said Richard Kilgarriff, head of Cartoon Network and Boomerang.
Toonami is operated by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Europe, which delivers some of the world's most successful and well-known news and entertainment brands - Cartoon Network, Boomerang, CNX, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and CNN International - across 50 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Turner Broadcasting System Europe Ltd. is an AOL Time Warner Co.
