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Cartoon Network
Course: Strategic management
42 Documents
Students shared 42 documents in this course
University: Pokhara University
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Elaborate on the history of the success of Cartoon Network. How has Cartoon Network been
able to run successfully in the Indian Television Market for so long? Discuss the strategy used by
Cartoon Network to capture the Indian Market
Cartoons were introduced for the first time on TV in 1950 with Jay Ward's 'Crusader Rabbit' in
the US. But at that time, cartoons or animated movies was focusing on the big screen. Movies
like Aladdin, The Lion King and some super hero movies were doing exceptionally well for
almost 10 years. The production houses earned handsomely. When cartoon TV channels came
into popularity in the 60’s, many of the production houses ran out of business. This was the
outcome of not understanding the demand of customers. There was demand for animated movies
but there was higher demand for cartoons which customers could watch daily in their homes. The
industry was expanding and the ones who sensed and rode the forthcoming tide of change
became the major players of the market. Targeting a niche market of youngsters and kids, the
industry later catered to millions of subscribers.
Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) launched Cartoon Network in October, 1992 with the goal of
achieving majority share of the niche market. The purpose of Cartoon Network as a channel was
to broadcast animated cartoons from the galleries of Warner Bros, MGM and Hanna-Barbera.
Within a few years, Cartoon Network started operations in Europe, Latin America and Asia
Pacific regions. At this point, it had come up with some of its wonderful original shows like Ed,
Edd n Eddy, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, and Dexter's Laboratory. Personally, watching
these cartoons with my cousins made my childhood awesome and have given me some of my
fondest memories. These cartoons became extremely popular across the world, making Cartoon
Network one of the leading children's entertainment channels during the 1990s.
In March 1998, Cartoon Network launched CartoonNetwork.com, a website offering cartoons on
the net. According to Nielsen Net Ratings, CartoonNetwork.com stood as one of the world's top
ten Websites, in terms of time spent on-site, during March 1998. Cartoon Network had huge
advertising and promotional agreements with leading companies such as Reebok, McDonald's,
Disney, and Nintendo. With the launch of cartoonnetwork.com in 1998, the TV network reached
new heights of success as the website had huge audience who spent hours streaming cartoons
and playing games. In 2001, the network had 75 million subscribers worldwide. Analysts
attributed the success of Cartoon Network to its appeal to the entire family, its original
programming content and its advanced programming technologies.
Cartoon Network entered India in October 1995 as a pioneer of the industry. Sharing airtime with
Turner Network Television (TNT), Cartoon Network was shown in the morning slot (5 a.m.-9
p.m.), TNT showed classic Hollywood movies in the night slot (9 p.m-5 a.m.). Owning the first
movers advantage, CN was heavily gaining popularity and admiration of subscriber.
Having to compete only with a primate channel like DoorDarshan was easy. Never the less, for a
business to succeed, occasional viewership would not help. What they needed was brand loyal