Boomerang (TV network)
Boomerang is an American cable television network and streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia.
Boomerang originated as a programming block on Cartoon Network introduced in 1992, focusing on classic cartoons from the WB library, and eventually grew into its own separate channel devoted to such content in 2000. Since a rebranding in 2015, Boomerang began to originate original programming, focusing primarily on reboots of popular legacy franchises such as Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo. The network's drift towards modern content has also seen it carry reruns of current or recent Cartoon Network series. In 2017, Boomerang launched an over-the-top subscription service focusing on classic cartoons.
As of September 2018, Boomerang is available to approximately 38.312 million pay television households in the United States.
History
Much of the programming that made up the core of Boomerang's lineup was originally part of TBS's Disaster Area, a block of children's programming that aired on that network from 1997 to 1999.Boomerang originated as a programming block on Cartoon Network that debuted on December 8, 1992. It was aimed towards the generation of baby boomers and was similar to the Vault Disney nostalgia block that would debut five years later on the Disney Channel. It originally aired for four hours every weekend, but the block's start time had changed frequently. The Saturday block moved to Saturday afternoons, then back to the early morning, and the Sunday block moved to Sunday evenings. Eventually, Boomerang was shortened by an hour, reducing it from four hours to three each weekend. Turner Broadcasting System eventually converted Boomerang into a standalone cable channel that debuted on April 1, 2000. The Cartoon Network block continued to run under the new Boomerang channel branding until October 3, 2004.
On February 4, 2014, as part of Turner Broadcasting's 2014 upfronts, it was announced that Boomerang would become advertising-supported, seeking additional international distribution.
In October 2014, Cartoon Network unveiled a global rebranding for Boomerang, which first launched in Latin America in late September, and arrived in the United States on January 19, 2015. Alongside the previously-announced plan to introduce advertising, the network planned to introduce original programming for the first time, and place a particular focus on the archive's most well-known franchises with an explicitly family-friendly approach. Turner executives described the changes as being an effort to grow Boomerang into a "second flagship" on par with the main Cartoon Network channel.
Availability on subscription television
Boomerang is carried on few pay television providers; tiering of the channel varies by service, with some operators offering it as either a basic-tier or higher-tier network. Most providers do not carry the linear channel, instead offering the network's video on demand service bundled with Cartoon Network. On March 4, 2019, the channel changed its default ratio to 16:9, with 4:3 content being aired stretched and the screen bug moving away from the 4:3 area, similar to what Cartoon Network did in May 2013. As of January 2020, Boomerang has begun broadcasting in high definition on certain platforms including Hulu.Logos
Awards and nominations
Programming
Historically, Boomerang avoided overt channel drift and, despite adding newer content to its library, continued to air programming from the breadth of its archives. By spring 2014, however, most of its archival programming was relegated to graveyard slots while the daytime schedule became dominated by programming from the 1990s and later. This policy underwent a partial reversal in April 2017, with a larger focus on shows from the 2010s, before older Cartoon Network series returned to Boomerang's schedule from January 2018 to May 2019. Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, The Smurfs, and various entries in the Scooby-Doo franchise have more or less had permanent places on the schedule since the rebrand, while previous network mainstays The Flintstones and The Jetsons returned in a late-night time slot in July 2018 before leaving the schedule again in November of that year.Not all of WarnerMedia's animation library is exclusively available to Boomerang. A portion of that catalog which includes series produced in collaboration with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, as well as most works involving Batman and Superman, is put out for license to other networks; those properties most recently aired on the Hub Network from late 2012 until its closure in October 2014. In addition, WarnerMedia's collection of Christmas specials — including the latter half of the Rankin/Bass Productions library — is licensed to AMC for their Best Christmas Ever block as of 2018; those specials previously aired on Freeform and its predecessors for nearly 20 years, as part of their 25 Days of Christmas lineup. In 2019, former channel fixture The Flintstones was licensed out to MeTV. Boomerang itself occasionally licenses programming from other distributors, such as with The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and with Garfield and Friends.
Although Boomerang's programming philosophy was originally intended to showcase classic cartoons, newer shows have been added in recent years, some even before the rebrand. From January to December 2012, new episodes of the Italian animated series aired on the channel. Wedgies, a series of animated interstitials that previously aired on Cartoon Network, were reintroduced in 2013. In December 2014, Boomerang added Teen Titans Go! and The Amazing World of Gumball to its lineup, alongside their airings on Cartoon Network; those shows left in April 2017. On June 28, 2015, it was announced that Boomerang would receive original programs such as New Looney Tunes, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, and an animated adaptation of Bunnicula. Throughout mid-2018, Boomerang added re-runs of modern Cartoon Network series to its lineup, including Regular Show, Mighty Magiswords, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe.
Similar to what Nickelodeon does with Nicktoons and TeenNick, Boomerang is used as a burn-off channel for new episodes of acquired series previously ordered for Cartoon Network that doesn't fit its programming direction; Numb Chucks was picked up by Boomerang for first-run broadcast on January 10, 2015, while Grizzy and the Lemmings joined in April 2017 and My Knight and Me arrived in June of the same year. The channel has also aired unadvertised, first-run episodes of Cartoon Network series before their initial debut, and also simulcasts programs with its parent service for cross-promotional purposes; instances of this include the preschool-oriented block Tickle-U and the 48-hour premiere of Summer Camp Island in July 2018.
Some of the programs that no longer air on the Boomerang linear channel are available on the subscription over-the-top service bearing the Boomerang name.
Programming blocks
Because of Boomerang's fluid schedule, programming blocks used to air for a few months, then be removed from the schedule, only to be added again a few months later, until they were almost all phased out in late 2014, due to the network's rebrand.Current
- Boomerang Theater – Boomerang's movie showcase block.
Former blocks
- Boomeraction – One of the first blocks to air on Boomerang, its programming focused on action-adventure shows including Thundarr the Barbarian, Teen Titans, Samurai Jack, ', The Pirates of Dark Water, Jonny Quest, The Secret Saturdays, Ben 10 and '. It was also one of the only Boomerang blocks to air across international feeds, including the United Kingdom, Latin America, and Australia versions of the network. The block was removed on June 1, 2014, as all programming from the block left the schedule.
- Boomerandom – This block aired each weekend from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time from 2008 to 2010, and featured two hours of episodes of a single program. The selected programs were picked by the "Boomerandom drawing machine".
- The Boomerang Christmas Party – This block, which aired every December, features a collection of Hanna-Barbera Christmas specials.
- Boomerang Zoo – This one-hour block featured pre-1970 Hanna-Barbera/Warner Bros. television shorts, culled mainly from the H–B funny animal series. It was the only block to air on both the American and European versions of the channel after the 2004 rebranding of Boomerang Europe.
- Boomerock – This block, which aired in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the premiere of The Flintstones in 2010, consisted of a marathon of the classic animated series.
- Boomeroyalty – This weekend mini-marathon of shows focuses on a particular character that changes every month, similar to the former Super Chunk block on sister network Cartoon Network. "Boomeroyalty" concluded on July 22, 2012.
- Captain Planet – In observance of Earth Day, Boomerang aired a marathon of the animated series every year from 2005 to 2014. Continuing the tradition in a digital format, the network's streaming service offered the series in its entirety for a limited time in spring 2018.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – In observance of MLK Day, Boomerang aired various episodes from The Garfield Show.
- Mother's Day – A recent marathon observance by Boomerang, on the holiday, the channel airs cartoons featuring mothers, such as Jane Jetson-focused episodes of The Jetsons, and Wilma Flintstone-focused episodes of The Flintstones.
- Pet of the Week – This block showcases 2 hours of a single animated program, where the title character is an animal, such as Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Garfield Show, and What's New, Scooby-Doo?. Currently, the block has been reduced to 1 hour of a single program.
- Scooberang – This continuous block featured every episode of each Scooby-Doo series, beginning with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It also aired some feature-length Scooby-Doo films, including Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers and Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. "Scooberang" no longer airs on Boomerang. However, various series iterations of the Scooby-Doo franchise air on the channel several times daily.
- Those Meddling Kids! – This 90-minute block featured series produced by Hanna-Barbera and/or Ruby-Spears, all of which follow the formula of a group of mystery-solving teenagers or young adults.
- Halloween block – This block aired during the month of October, and included Halloween-themed programs such as Scooby-Doo, Casper, The Addams Family, Beetlejuice, The Funky Phantom, Goober and the Ghost Chasers and The Munsters. This is notably the only time that Boomerang regularly aired any live-action programming, particularly as The Addams Family and The Munsters have aired on the channel each October since 2011. The Halloween programming replaced the annual Scooberang block in 2011 and aired again in 2012 and 2013; it was not brought back in 2014 when the channel began to change focus.
- Weeknights at 8:30 – Boomerang's primetime premiere block, which debuted in October 2015 and aired new episodes of, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, The Garfield Show, Shaun the Sheep, DreamWorks Dragons, and Sonic Boom. Following the block's closure in 2016, each show featured continued to air.
Other services
Boomerang On Demand
Boomerang On Demand is the channel's video-on-demand service, offering select episodes of the channel's archived programming, along with select archived Cartoon Network original programs. Launched in 2005, it is available on select digital cable, satellite and IPTV providers. In April 2013, Boomerang On Demand began to separate program content by "theme", but this method was scrapped in January 2015 due to the network's rebrand.Mobile app/subscription service
On March 7, 2017, Boomerang announced that it would launch an app that will feature programming from the 5000+ titles from its sister companies Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros, as well as exclusive original programming. The app launched on April 11, 2017, and is available either for $4.99 per month or $39.99 annually. New episodes and content are planned to be added weekly. Currently, the Boomerang App is only available for subscription in the United States. On November 13, 2018, the Boomerang service launched as a channel on the VRV streaming service.International
Boomerang, originally established as a cable channel in the United States, has expanded worldwide. Each of these networks were aligned globally in 2015 under one unified branding to reflect a family co-viewing network.Africa/HQ
The pan-European version of Boomerang, known as Boomerang HQ, launched on 5 June 2005 and initially broadcast in Eastern Europe, the Benelux, Portugal, the Middle East & Africa, Poland, Greece & Cyprus, and Hungary. Like its US counterpart, it primarily featured former Cartoon Network and Hanna-Barbera programs.In 2008, the network added an Arabic audio track to certain shows for MENA audiences. In October 2010, the channel started to air certain shows in Romanian.
On 12 October 2011, a dedicated Central and Eastern Europe feed was launched, maintaining its own schedule with Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, and English audio. Around the same time, preschool brand Cartoonito was added to both feeds as a morning block. Despite the split, Boomerang HQ continued to air in Africa and the Arab world, as well as in the Netherlands, Flanders, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and select TV operators in the Czech Republic.
The channel was available in Portugal until 31 December 2013, when it was removed due to the launch of the Portuguese feed of Cartoon Network. On 1 November 2014, all Benelux and Czech TV operators switched over to Boomerang CEE, leaving Greece and Cyprus as the only European countries to continue carrying Boomerang HQ.
The channel rebranded on 14 January 2015.
On 1 July 2016, a separate feed for the Middle East and North Africa was launched on beIN and various Gulf IPTV providers, featuring its own schedule, separate programming lineup, and Arabic audio track. Boomerang MENA has also replaced the African feed in Greece and Cyprus.
Australia
An Australian version of Boomerang was launched in March 2004 as part of the launch of Foxtel's digital service, with a lineup very similar to that of the U.K. version. It originally began as a four-hour block of programs in 2001, when the Australian version of Cartoon Network began broadcasting on a 24-hour schedule. It previously used the logo and break format of the flagship American service. However, in November 2007, the channel revamped both its logo and promotions as well as its website, boomerangtvshow.com. However, it uses the same bumpers for as the U.S. channel. On 1 December 2012, the channel introduced a new on-air look with the same logo and appearance as the European channels. On 3 November 2014, the channel changed its logo to the current logo.Central and Eastern Europe
Prior to the launch of the Central and Eastern European feed, Boomerang HQ was broadcast in Hungary and Poland. The network began to air shows dubbed in Romanian in 2010.Boomerang CEE officially launched on 12 October 2011, featuring continuity in either Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, or English. In February 2012, the channel began accepting traditional advertising outside of Poland, whose subfeed had previously been the only one to do so.
In July 2013, the channel started to air select shows in Russian, in preparation for a possible launch of a separate feed for Russia; said version launched in October 2013. Cartoonito was removed from both Boomerang CEE and Boomerang HQ in January 2014. Starting in July of that year, as Russia banned commercials, the Russian subfeed became ad-free on all platforms.
On 1 November 2014, Boomerang CEE replaced Boomerang HQ on TV operators in the Benelux and the Czech Republic; a Dutch track was then added to the channel.
The channel adopted the global rebrand on 2 February 2015.
On 1 October 2018, Boomerang CEE replaced the German feed of Boomerang, launching a German audio track and subfeed intended to air German advertisements.
France
The French version of Boomerang was launched on 23 April 2003, and rebranded on 3 January 2015.Germany
The German version of Boomerang launched in June 2006, available on Kabel Deutschland, Kabel BW, and Unity Media. The network adopted the global rebrand on 16 February 2015. On 1 October 2018, Boomerang Germany was shut down and replaced by Boomerang CEE.Italy
The Italian version of Boomerang launched on 31 July 2003; a timeshift feed known as Boomerang +1 was launched in December 2008. The channel adopted the global rebrand on 2 February 2015.Latin America and Brazil
The Latin American feed of Boomerang was launched on 2 July 2001; like its US counterpart, its schedule focused on classic animated series. This would last until 2006, when the network was relaunched for a general children's audience; programming expanded to feature live-action series and movies. In 2008, all remaining cartoons left the schedule as it drifted towards a teenage audience, focusing on live-action shows, movies, and music videos. Boomerang would return to is cartoon-oriented format on 1 April 2014, with live-action content relegated to nighttime hours while newer animated series and older cartoons from Cartoon Network joined. On 28 September 2014, the network became the first variant of Boomerang in the world to adopt the new look.Middle East and North Africa
Prior to the launch of a dedicated MENA feed, Boomerang HQ was offered to Orbit and Showtime in English, before a licensing agreement between Turner Broadcasting System Europe and beIN Media Group in December 2015 removed the channel in January 2016.Boomerang HQ initially broadcast in English, before an Arabic audio track for select shows was launched in 2008.
On 1 July 2016, Boomerang MENA officially launched in the Middle East and North Africa. Broadcasting in HD, the bilingual feed features channel continuity and series in both English and Arabic audio. Boomerang MENA is also offered in Greece and Cyprus as well, broadcasting its shows in Greek.
Netherlands and Flanders
Originally, Boomerang HQ was broadcast in the Netherlands and Flanders with Dutch subtitles. In November 2014, the CEE feed replaced Boomerang HQ, featuring English and Dutch audio. A Dutch subfeed was launched in conjunction with the rebrand on 2 February 2015, and has remained that way as of 2017.Portugal
Prior to the launch of the Portuguese feed, Boomerang HQ was broadcast on TV providers until 31 December 2013, due to the launch of Cartoon Network's own Portuguese variant.On 21 April 2015, a dedicated version of Boomerang in European Portuguese was launched, but only in Angola and Mozambique. The channel finally launched in Portugal on 26 April 2018.
Scandinavia
In late 2005, Turner Broadcasting announced its intention to launch several new channels in the Nordic region. One of the planned new channels was Boomerang, for which Turner applied for a broadcast license to operate on Swedish digital terrestrial television in the fall of 2005.Southeast Asia
The Southeast Asian version of Boomerang launched on 1 September 2005. It originated as a 90-minute block of series in 2001 and previously used the branding package from the flagship American service. By November 2007, the channel revamped its logo and visual style. In December 2012, the channel was replaced by Toonami. Boomerang, however, returned to Asia on 1 January 2015, replacing Cartoonito.This channel is available in Hong Kong, the selected ASEAN member neighbour countries and Sri Lanka. The 24-hour channel in India was only available on Dish TV exclusively along with Turner Classic Movies until 2 March 2009. It is currently only available on IN Digital Cable from the Hinduja Group in Mumbai and the National Capital Region. In Pakistan, it ran as a two-hour block but was replaced with Pogo due to poor ratings. In Indonesia, it is available on Indovision, Aora TV, and TelkomVision.
South Korea
After the United States–Korea Free Trade Agreement went effective in 2012, it allowed Turner Broadcasting to directly manage Cartoon Network Korea starting from March 2015. On November 14, local version of Boomerang was also launched in Korea. Its programming mainly consists of modern Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera series, but children's cartoons produced in Korea are also prominently featured.Spain
Boomerang launched a Spanish feed in 2004, available on the Digital+ digital platform and on the Auna cable platform. Originally, it was introduced as a part of Cartoon Network's weekend afternoon schedule.The channel's programming strongly resembled that of the UK version, relying heavily on older Warner Bros., MGM, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons while also including fairly recent programmes like Baby Looney Tunes and Duck Dodgers. It also featured other classic cartoons from around the world, such as Heidi from Japan and the Spanish La vuelta al mundo de Willy Fog.
On 1 September 2011, it was replaced by Cartoonito, which itself ceased operations on 30 June 2013 along with the Spanish version of Cartoon Network.