Ireland

Originally posted on ToonZone on 13th April 2014:

For those who don’t know, Cartoon Network Too was an additional Cartoon Network channel only available in the UK, Ireland and Malta, it closed down on 1st April 2014 being replaced with the resurrected CN +1 hour timeshift service. Here’s my post-mortem on the channel of why it closed down.

The channel primarily shows action cartoons, the purpose of the channel was to be action-orientated, of which according to BARB ratings on the main CN channel isn’t pulling in viewers, CN’s comedy shows are much more successful. It’s also important to point out not to underestimate the success of the Ben 10 franchise.

The purpose of CN Too is redundant, even though it mainly showed action programmes, it was also an overspill for Cartoon Network, which consequently dilutes the quality of the schedule. CN Too had a identity crisis, it may show action shows but it also sometimes broadcast shows that are slightly older and finished their run on the main CN channel, this is what Boomerang is supposed to be, but with a significant time gap.

The channel was performing weakly when compared to Boomerang, Boomerang usually has ratings on par or better than CN Too. CN Too ratings were weak despite its prominent position on Sky’s and Virgin Media’s EPG listings in the Kids section.

Timeshift viewing in the UK accounts up to 10% of TV viewing in the UK. The UK pretty much invented the concept of timeshift viewing (with exception to U.S. East and West Coast feeds for geographical purposes for example) and ironically Cartoon Network was one of the first channels to have such a service until CN Too was launched 8 years ago.

The newly appointed management is emphasizing and focusing on services that are convenient to the viewer, this also includes on-demand services and the timeshift service also provides another chance to watch shows an hour later, also there’s the Weekend Rewind feature on weekend mornings.