​Turner Broadcasting is unveiling a major overhaul of its animated and young adult programming, including an extra hour in primetime for its top-rated Adult Swim block.

Although it is losing an hour of primetime, Cartoon Network, the daytime branding for the channel that hosts Adult Swim, will produce a new lineup of digital originals for its website and other branded platforms.

And Boomerang, Turner’s home of classic cartoons from Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Warner Bros. libraries, will open for ad sales this year, after 14 years as a commercial-free network.

“As Adult Swim continues to succeed with record ratings and connects with its audiences more than ever,it is imperative that we find a way to grow this part of the business that keeps the essence of what has made it successful and competitive,” said Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Broadcasting’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media (AYAKM) . “Our original content also continues to expand, particularly in primetime, with creative and innovative shows such as Rick and Morty. An additional hour in primetime answers these needs and gives us the opportunity to develop more original content for primetime that will engage our audiences even further.”

Adult Swim—which just recorded its most-watched year ever— is the #1 basic cable net for viewers 18-34, and just recorded its most-watched year ever. The Adult Swim block will now come on the air at 8pm, with back-to-back episodes of 20th Century Fox Television’s “King of the Hill.”

Cartoon Network will continue to air it’s “early prime” block of original animation, albeit shifted to the earlier 6pm-8pm timeslot.

Viewers will also see on-air messaging directing them to Cartoon Network’s digital platforms, where they will find an expanded slate of exclusive shorts, series and gaming opportunities.

The expanded digital offerings are designed to capture younger viewers’ appetites for content on a variety of platforms and screens.

“Cartoon Network will always be on when and wherever our audience wants to experience it,” Snyder said.

Boomerang is being repositioned globally as a channel that parents and children can watch together, since the classic cartoons will appeal to an older generation’s nostalgia, while still being entertaining for a younger audience.

Brief Take: Turner is moving to solidify it position as a leader in providing content for young adults, while expanding opportunities for grabbing global advertising cash aimed at younger viewers.

Tags:


  Save as PDF