>As the network celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, it finds itself in increasingly challenging terrain: competition from other digital media has pushed conventional or "linear" television ratings into free fall in the United States, with viewing numbers for some of the biggest children's channels, such as Disney and Nickelodeon, in steady decline.
>But chief content officer Rob Sorcher says the home of Johnny Bravo (1995 to 2004) and Dexter's Laboratory (1996 to 1999) has managed to reinvent itself - pivoting to multi-platform, on-demand distribution by developing apps, video games and other new ways of reaching its audience.
>"We know how to do every bell and whistle, but it doesn't matter how fancy or how well-constructed it is. In the end, it's still entertainment that has an emotional component. That's the thing we're trying to preserve in the midst of it all."
>"And we shifted our mindset of what success is, so we're not as focused on (linear TV ratings)," he says, noting that Cartoon Network has done well in the video-on-demand (VOD) sphere, its VOD app even winning an Interactive Emmy for User Experience and Visual Design last year."
>"So there is something bigger going on and we let that happen, then the Internet made things happen on the side that became (online) fandom. Now, we say, 'You know what - we're going to embrace that. That's our fan base and they're helping us.'
Christian Sanders
>The channel also has its finger in the wind when it comes to another industry-wide shift: the growing scrutiny of ethnic and gender diversity in content.
>It has been more of a hot-button issue for live-action entertainment - where furores now periodically erupt over accusations of female or minority under-representation - but Sorcher says at the Cartoon Network, "we think about it every day and we take it on as an important mandate - and it's a filter that's applied in many ways" (see other story).
>"Historically, we were seen more as a boy-leaning network and girls grew out of animation sooner - they graduated to live action, to scenarios where there were social situations, like with a lot of those Disney sitcoms."
>But the demographics of its audience have broadened considerably in recent years.
>"If you look at Steven Universe, it features a lot of female protagonists and it is led by a woman, (creator Rebecca Sugar), which has an influence on the overall tone."
>The show, which started in 2013 and is about three magical humanoid aliens, appeals to girls and some fans stay with it even when they go to university, he says. "Adventure Time was similar too. We have a greater diversity of people, and at a broader age range, staying with those shows," he says, although the network's demographic "sweet spot" remains the six-to 14-year-olds.
Isaiah Harris
Yeah, cable channels are struggling. That's a big reason CN uses TTG, Gumball, and other such shows constantly as filler while their other shows focus on premier ratings and digital platforms.
Cooper Ramirez
>>"So there is something bigger going on and we let that happen, then the Internet made things happen on the side that became (online) fandom. Now, we say, 'You know what - we're going to embrace that. That's our fan base and they're helping us.'
So, Villainous series confirmed?
Levi Ortiz
I hope not.
Jaxson Hughes
>Not wanting to see one of the most original cartoons in recent years fag
Brandon Sanders
>It has been more of a hot-button issue for live-action entertainment - where furores now periodically erupt over accusations of female or minority under-representation >everything has to be a urban or a chic flick I fucking hate 2010s america
Jackson Adams
>>"If you look at Steven Universe, it features a lot of female protagonists and it is led by a woman, (creator Rebecca Sugar), which has an influence on the overall tone." That doesn't mean shit if the channel doesn't air it on reruns
Luke Foster
Still shilling?
Zachary Mitchell
when's clarence, SU and magiswords coming back? give KO a hiatus so they can animate it better.
Sebastian Richardson
>when's clarence The 27th.
>SU Winter.
>and magiswords Once they have an excuse to shill the app. (Most likely winter, because of last year)
>give KO a hiatus so they can animate it better. KO has been in production since late 2015, most of season 1 is done now.
Grayson Long
>Villianous >Original Come on now, I want it to be a show too, but lets be honest
Jose Sanders
So it was women's fault when CNReal happened when they chased the Disney train?
Gavin Thomas
>the Internet made things happen on the side that became (online) fandom. Now, we say, 'You know what - we're going to embrace that lol CN fucknig confirmed for pandering to tumblr kiddos. This network is a joke.
Adam Diaz
It'd explain their scheduling. They literally don't care about TV anymore.
Isaiah Wood
>Cartoon Network's Future same thing thats happening to live action, killed off by the internet
Cameron Ramirez
bump
Adrian Nelson
Not original as in "never done before" but original as in how many other cartoons in the past 8 years or so have featured a group of villains rather than, "hyperactive optimistic kid and his ragtag group of friends"?
Shit, even the art style is a breath of fresh air despite being literally Invader ZIM.
Brody Thompson
You can't even call that a future though.
Carter Gomez
Nobody cares about TV anymore. In the era of internet access and working two jobs to pay for a shit house, who has the time to sit down and watch television for long hours?
Cartoon Network doesn't want to pander to Tumblr because they know girls will grow out of animation early and switch over to live action for entertainment. This is why Young Justice and Green Lantern Animated series failed: The girls weren't watching animation as much as the fans and creators of both shows made it out to be.
Noah Lee
>original But honestly I do want to see it get picked up. Even though it set a record time for a fanbase becoming terrible.
Aaron Roberts
they should make a deal with Crunchyroll. so they can show Crunchy's free tier shows on toonami. while promoting crunchyroll to normies.
Dylan Collins
Are you sure you're not promoting ? Besides, that would mean less kiddies watching CN.
Jeremiah Hernandez
>pandering to women more
So does this mean that Infinity Train and Twelve Forever are happening, or...?
Brody Moore
>Cartoon Network has done well in the video-on-demand (VOD) sphere It's all fine and Dandy. Now if only their current cartoons themselves were any good.
Mason Johnson
In 2003 on Cartoon Network, you could watch all of the following in a single week:
>Dexter's Lab >Powerpuff Girls >Ed, Edd, n' Eddy >Johnny Bravo >Cow & Chicken >I Am Weasel >Courage the Cowardly Dog >Codename: Kids Next Door >Grim & Evil >Sheep in the Big City >Mike, Lou, & Ogg >Samurai Jack >Teen Titans >Batman: The Animated Series >Superman: The Animated Series >Justice League >Batman Beyond >Static Shock >Animaniacs >Tiny Toons >Freakazoid >Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries >Baby Looney Tunes >X-Men Evolution >Jackie Chan Adventures >Looney Tunes >Scooby Doo >A Pup Named Scooby Doo >Yogi Bear & the other Hanna Barbara Characters >Flintstones >Jetsons >Jabberjaw >Hong Kong Phooey >2 Stupid Dogs >Swat Kats >Tom & Jerry and MGM shorts >Dragon Ball >Dragon Ball Z >Gundam Wing/8th MS/MSG/G >Outlaw Star >Zoids: Chaotic Century >Pokemon >Yu-Gi-Oh >YuYu Hakusho >Rurouni Kenshin >He-Man >Transformers Armada >Aqua Teen Hunger Force >Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law >Space Ghost Coast to Coast >Brak Show >Sealab 2021 >Home Movies >Family Guy >Futurama >Trigun >Lupin the 3rd >Cowboy Bebop >Inuyasha
To argue that this diversity and range and quality of programming is better to the TTG spam today is mere 'nostalgia" is ridiculous
Dylan Miller
>the yes man >no
You fucked up.
Owen Lopez
has it been that long since League of Super Evil?
Alexander Collins
>never heard of it >look it up >League of Super Evil (initialized as L.O.S.E. or LOSE) is a Canadian --
trash. canadian cartoons are a fucking factory line of shit being pumped out just to keep their artists employed. i'm pretty sure they have a cartoon for everything including a kid whose best friend is his butt.
Justin Powell
>Animaniacs >Tiny Toons Didn't they go to Nick in exchange for the remaining Looney Tunes catalog? Or are you counting the slumber party things?
Parker Evans
They were apparently moved to Nick in 2002, so OP was off a year. Though there was an animaniacs marathon in 2004 and they showed Wacko's Wish a lot on Cartoon Theater
Hunter Lee
I miss early 2000's CN so fucking much.
Just give me an equivalent to this and I'd be happy. Just a shit ton of diverse, quality shows that hit every mark imaginable.
Luke Foster
There's no excuse Boomerang doesn't do this. It's just the trashcan for failed CN shows and tom & jerry reruns
Camden Brown
I don't even want old shows, although it'd be nice if Sym-Bionic Titan and Megas XLR were revived. I just want another bunch of new shows, new comedy cartoons, new action cartoons, a diverse selection of anime, maybe even do something new and give us some horror cartoons on adult swim or something like that.
Old school CN was a huge part of my life and it pains me that the network is a shell of its former self. I can only imagine what kids these days are going through. Lord knows Saturday morning cartoons are dead nowadays.
Daniel Morales
>"Historically, we were seen more as a boy-leaning network and girls grew out of animation sooner - they graduated to live action, to scenarios where there were social situations, like with a lot of those Disney sitcoms. >girls grew out of animation sooner Where is this study
Kayden Rodriguez
>Cartoon Network doesn't want to pander to Tumblr because they know girls will grow out of animation early and switch over to live action for entertainment.
Sorcher Says right here >the demographics of its audience have broadened considerably in recent years. >some fans stay with it even when they go to university, he says.
He’s saying the market is (sadly, imo) different now, and they clearly want to embrace that.
John Carter
That was typical for girls in the 90s. They stopped caring about cartoons and were more interested in MTV or some other thing.
Carson Morgan
I don't want to believe.
Hudson Hall
>Girls can watch cartoons too! >Look at all of our representation! >Doesn't actually watch the cartoons
Fucking pottery.
Adam Peterson
Boomerang could've taken a look at Nick and seen that 90s cartoons are what people want. Turner could've made Boomerang into 90s Cartoon Network.
Anthony Evans
It literally already has been confirmed. He would have just said Villainous if that's what he was talking about, it's something else. Villainous is good, but far from original. And lots of very original ideas are fucking retarded and worthless. Improving on old ideas (or not fixing what isn't broken) is better.
>Fanbase being terrible This fanbase meme needs to die >L.O.S.E This show was mediocre at best and no one brings it up except as an excuse to shit on Villainous for having a similar concept but being completely different in execution. Shill. Also Toonami was a fucking mistake since it's very inception and needs to go away. This
Christopher Lewis
They probably just studied their own(and probably nick and disney's) demographic ratings, there wouldn't need to be an actually published study for this.
Hudson Perez
>Muh schedule is overflown with TTG >I have cable yet can't watch all of these shows ondemand for some reason >I keep forgetting that the schedule is lowering TTG every week When will this meme die? I swear, schedulefags need one big quick chop to the neck.
Jace Martinez
>implying that'd shut them up I bet you 5 cocks that nostalgiafags and schedulefiends will still check their bed for the TTG hate bandwagon bogeyman long after it's gone.
Casual reminder that a bunch of them complained about their lack kf halloween celebration and got BTFO now that Billy and Mandy and Ben 10 are gettign reruns. I love it when schedule fags shut their yaps.
Aaron Reyes
Not to mention data on this would have a huge standard deviation. Prior to 9/11, nobody was really watching kids fight over the remote in their home, except the town child molester.
Ayden Scott
>wanting to watch some shitty show made by spic I want my wall already, Trump.
Justin Russell
Trump is too busy playing golf and tennis to give a fuck about your problems.
Levi Lopez
I remember boys in my school got more into sports, WWF and maybe videogames like Doom around the same time.
Mason Baker
90s cartoons are generally garbage. 00s cartoons are what people want.
Brody Stewart
SBT is terrible, but if XLR was revived with it as a package deal I would not be complaining one bit.
Kayden Wood
Maybe try not spaming the one show?
Michael Turner
>including a kid whose best friend is his butt. Surprisingly decent.
Nathan Thomas
Young Justice failed because it was shit, and a shocking black mark on Greg Weisman's record.
Carter Turner
why the fuck does anyone like magiswords
Nathan Scott
>In the era of internet access and working two jobs to pay for a shit house, who has the time to sit down and watch television for long hours? Children.
Anthony Perez
1. waifus 2. the pacing slowed down and actually became watchable
Adam Perez
This feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Back in highschool, which was a long time ago, I remember there being far more girls who stuck with art and reading manga, while guys moved on to sports and video game by middle school. Girls probably would have kept watching cartoons if they had storylines girls cared about, as manga had.
Even today, cartoons made specifically for girls tend to look like 22-minute make up commercials. I can't imagine anyone wanting something that crass, no matter the demographic.
Carter Morris
You're a fucking retard. Girls move on from cartoons much easier because for them, adult life is basically always better than that (sex on demand and all the associated benefits).
Guys OTOH generally have to work their asses off just so they don't end up on the streets, thus many prefer to remain manchildren for as long as possible.
Ethan Baker
I can't speak for everyone but this was true to a T in my family. My sister had already outgrown cartoons by the time she was 8 (and I was 6). By the time she was 11, she only watched "kids" shows sporadically and watched mainly stuff for adults.
I was the opposite. I refused to watch anything other than cartoons, and even today, at 24, it's still the main thing I watch on TV.
Adrian Cooper
>Non spic cartoons are promoting social justice >Spic cartoon is actually good and better than most of the trash in recent years Really gets the old noggin joggin you know, spics know whats up
Alexander Barnes
Again, it's because of "Maturing" is beneficial for girls, but highly detrimental for guys. At least in that sense.
Sebastian Green
So to summarize what Sorcher said:
>Women ruin everything >We have no plans on improving the channel's lineup
Eli Reed
Are girls really becoming more interested in animation? or is the balance actually caused by them losing boy viewers at a faster rate? I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter given the state TV is in.