The Cartoon Network is a cable TV channel created by Turner Broadcasting and dedicated to showing cartoons. It premiered on October 1, 1992.
Ted Turner's cable TV conglomerate had acquired the MGM film library (which included the older catalog of Warner Bros. cartoons), and its cable channel Turner Network Television had gained an audience with its film library. Shortly thereafter they purchased Hanna-Barbera Productions. The Cartoon Network channel was created as an outlet for Turner's considerable library of animation, and the initial programming on the channel consisted exclusively of reruns of classic Warner Bros. and MGM cartoons, with many Hanna-Barbera TV cartoons used as time fillers.
In 1996 Time Warner purchased Turner Broadcasting, and the Cartoon Network came under their corporate umbrella. This provided still more material for the Cartoon Network, as the channel now had access to the Warner Bros. cartoon library from the 1950s and 1960s.
Time Warner changed the direction of Hanna Barbera Productions, and focused the studio exclusively on creating new material for the Cartoon Network channel. Among the shows the studio has produced are Dexter's Laboratory (1996), Johnny Bravo (1997), Cow and Chicken (1997), and The Powerpuff Girls (1998). Ed, Edd, and Eddy (1999), another popular cartoon, was made by a.k.a. Cartoon.
The cable channel has recently made attempts to attract viewers outside its core audience (young children). Their mid-afternoon cartoon block Toonami consists of reruns of acceptable-for-teens anime from Japan, while a late-night cartoon block called Adult Swim shows more risque, teenage- and adult-oriented cartoons (with a combination of anime and American-produced comedies).
In 2002, Last Bell began to broadcast designed for selecting a cartoon for voting, and whoever wins is programmed. In Latin America, it is shown by the name Votatoon.
Cartoon Network is also broadcasting in other languages like Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian etc. Other Cartoon Network stations where Kids WB isn't shown for other languages in some places. Most of the Kids WB shows are broadcast on Cartoon Network like the one in Latin America.
These changes have practically eliminated the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the network's schedule, forcing them to move to the nostalgia-themed Boomerang network.
Cartoon Network also has an online feature named Cartoon Orbit, began in 2001, and has exceeded one million members in 2003.
In April 2004, Toonami which ran from 4PM to 6PM (primary time) moved to 7PM to 11PM (primary time). This move was done to prepare for the new mid-afternoon cartoon block called Miguzi
See also: List of programs broadcast by Cartoon Network