Boomerang (British and Irish TV channel)

This article is about the United Kingdom feed. For the original American channel, see Boomerang (TV network). For Boomerang in other countries, see Boomerang (TV network) § International.

Boomerang is a 24-hour British television channel which primarily features classic and modern animated series from Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. Animation. The channel launched on 27 May 2000 as a spin-off of Cartoon Network and localization of the original American network. It is run by AT&T's WarnerMedia under its International division.

History

Origins

Boomerang began as a block in 1993.[citation needed]

UK launch

Boomerang launched on 27 May 2000,[1] airing between 6am to 12am, on Sky Digital and certain cable systems. Cartoon Network at the time had a tight schedule and so Boomerang was created by Turner Broadcasting to broadcast classic cartoons from the Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Warner Bros archive programme library, as well as freeing Cartoon Network of many classics in the schedule.[2]

In May 2001, Boomerang became the second highest-rated children's channel, beaten only by Cartoon Network. In July 2001, Boomerang was added to on Telewest, thus increasing its viewership. James Greville, head of Cartoon Network at the time, stated, "The channel launched barely a year ago and yet it's already beaten established kids' channels in terms of ratings and share".[3] By November 2001, Boomerang was available on NTL.[4]

Boomerang[when?] increased its library of old cartoons by acquiring rights to other animated shows such as Danger Mouse, The Pink Panther and Garfield and Friends.[5] By late 2003, Boomerang started to move away from its original purpose and moved to broadcast more recent programming.[specify]

A one-hour timeshift channel, Boomerang +1, launched in March 2006.[citation needed]

Boomerang rebranded with the new international graphics package developed by UK based graphic design agency Art&Graft on 16 February 2015.[6][7] Boomerang switched to 16:9 widescreen in June 2015. A high-definition feed was launched the same month.[8]

In September 2018, Boomerang was rebranded once again.[9]

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Boomerang in Europe

Live-action programming

Between July 2007 to August 2009, Boomerang started airing live action programming, starting with Fraggle Rock.[10]

Other live action series included Life with Derek,[11] The Latest Buzz and My Spy Family

Logos

  • 27 May 2000 - 13 September 2004

  • 13 September 2004 – 16 February 2015

  • 16 February 2015 – present

  • 26 June 2015 – present

References

  1. ^ "Digest". Marketing Week. 6 November 2000. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. ^ [1] Archived 22 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Boomerang increases its UK penetration". C21Media. 7 September 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  4. ^ "NTL adds 15 channels". Broadcast. 26 October 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Garfield joins Cartoon Network". Broadcast. 20 March 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Boomerang Global Rebrand". Art&Graft. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Boomerang UK Rebranded Today (16/02/2015)". RegularCapital.com. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Boomerang UK HD Officially Launched Today (24/06/2015)". RegularCapital.com. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  9. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWYybUdYrM4
  10. ^ Oatts, Joanne (22 June 2007). "Boomerang gets its own 'Spy' Family". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Boomerang Expands its Life with Derek". Thinkbox. 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.

External links