Cartoon Network, Boomerang, POGO and Toonami lead the pack in 2016 and look forward to a multi-platform 2017
HONG KONG (January 23, 2017) – The combination of Turner’s four kids brands in Asia Pacific – Cartoon Network, Boomerang, POGO and Toonami – was the region’s No. 1 international kids portfolio across nine measured markets for the whole of 2016.*
Building on the same leadership position achieved in 2015, the group again finished the year with the highest category share in the kids’ genre throughout the region. Turner’s off-air, digital touchpoints for its brands also showed significant growth during the past 12 months.
Mark Eyers, Chief Content Officer for Turner’s Kids Networks in Asia Pacific
Mark Eyers, Chief Content Officer for Turner’s Kids Networks in Asia Pacific, said: “This is awesome news for us, and is just one of many highlights during a huge 2016. We welcomed back mega-franchises like Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls on Cartoon Network, saw some world-class content debut on POGO and Toonami, as well as witnessing a spike in reach and distribution for Boomerang.”
Turner is forging new ways of developing content and telling stories that converge creativity and technology. Way more than a traditional TV series, a great example of this is Cartoon Network’s recently-launched MagiMobile, which was conceived at the beginning of the concept development process. The app is an integral part of the overall experience for the network’s latest new franchise, Mighty Magiswords, and empowers users to build their own massive collection of Magiswords, just like the heroes in the show.
A raft of games, apps and consumer products will launch through the year. Already this January, in addition to MagiMobile, Cartoon Network launched the Ben 10: Up to Speed mobile game. Mobile, web and console game are all planned 2017, as are major upgrades to Cartoon Network Watch and Play and Cartoon Network Anything apps, and to the brands’ websites.
Total visits to Cartoon Network’s regional presence across web, mobile and apps in 2016 saw an 11% increase year-on-year.**
In 2016, downloads of Cartoon Network Anything were up significantly by 558% year-on-year; Cartoon Network Watch and Play saw a 61% download increase.**
“Looking ahead, 2017 will be the year when our shows go truly multi-platform and are consumed by young audiences in new ways,” added Mr. Eyers. “We’ll have almost 800 half-hours of new content on Cartoon Network and Boomerang alone, much of which will debut on our apps perfectly complementing our TV schedules. This also includes some great new original content from our own region, such as games and shorts by creators based in Australia, India and Korea.”
As Cartoon Network gears up for an even bigger year, distribution in the region has pushed past 135 million households. Sister brands Toonami and Boomerang are at over 15 and 30 million, respectively, and POGO sits at 64 million households.
New episodes in 2017 include:
– From Cartoon Network Studios – Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, We Bare Bears, Mighty Magiswords, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time
– Originals from Cartoon Network Asia Pacific – Roll No. 21, Lamput, The Sketchy Show, Bill and Tony, and Beat Monsters
– From Warner Bros. Animation – Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, Teen Titans Go!, Justice League Action, Bunnicula and Looney Tunes
– Acquisitions / co-productions – Oggy and the Cockroaches, My Knight and Me, Dragon Ball Super, Chhota Bheem, Mighty Raju and Yokai Watch!
-Ends-
* Data sources: OzTAM national STV overnights (Australia), BARC Media Workstation (India), Nielsen (Korea, Taiwan, Thailand One-Merged), MediaLogic (Pakistan), Kantar Media (Philippines MegaTAM, Malaysia DTAM Live + As Live), GFK (Singapore – trial data July-September 2016, SG TAM October-December 2016). 2016 full year. Local Kids Targets; Ranking among Kids Channels.
** Data source: Omniture. Period: Jan – Dec 2016 vs. Jan – Dec 2015.
Media enquiries:
James Moore, Turner Asia Pacific
James.Moore@turner.com / +852 3128-3720
About Turner Asia Pacific
Turner Asia Pacific creates and distributes award-winning brands throughout the region, running 61 channels in 14 languages in 40 countries. These include CNN International, CNNj, CNN, HLN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, POGO, Toonami, World Heritage Channel, Warner TV, Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, truTV, MondoTV, TABI Channel, and HBO, HBO HD and WB in South Asia. Turner manages the business of Pay- and Free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and oversees commercial partnerships with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner’s global reach. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (“Turner Asia Pacific”) is a Time Warner company.
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