Cartoon Network Arabia (Arabic: كرتون نتورك بالعربية) is a pan-Arab free-to-air children's television channel that is broadcast to Arab audiences in the Middle East and North Africa. It is one of two Arabic-language versions of the original Cartoon Network, the other being a pay television channel on beIN and additional providers known as Cartoon Network MENA, which is available in both English and Arabic.
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| Country | United Arab Emirates United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Arab World |
| Headquarters |
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| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Arabic |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
| Timeshift service | Cartoon Network Arabic +2 (defunct as of 2016) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA |
| Sister channels |
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| History | |
| Launched | 10 October 2010; 13 years ago (2010-10-10) |
| Former names | Cartoon Network |
| Links | |
| Website | Official website MENA language website (English and Arabic) |
The channel launched on 10 October 2010, coinciding with the opening of Turner Broadcasting System Europe's offices in Dubai Media City. As of 2023, it is managed by Warner Bros. Discovery under its international division.
The standard channel broadcasts via Arabsat Badr 6 and Nilesat. Cartoon Network Arabic is considered a free-to-air alternative to Cartoon Network MENA and Cartoonito MENA, two pay TV channels offered in the Arab world in HD and in both English and Arabic on beIN Network and additional providers since 1 July 2016, despite the varying differences in programming, schedules, and available languages.
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Cartoon Network Arabic was launched on 10 October 2010 at 10:10 am GST.[1][2] The channel's launch coincided with the opening of Turner Broadcasting System's offices in Dubai Media City, UAE, which is where the channel's local owner is located.[3]
The channel changed its aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 on 5 October 2014; it also began using the Check it 3.0 branding on that day.
Cartoon Network Arabic has changed its website. The new website was changed in May 2015.
On 4 October 2017, the channel has fully rebranded to the Dimensional branding.
In December 2015, Turner Broadcasting System entered an exclusivity deal with the Qatar-based beIN Media Group.[4] This deal led to Cartoon Network Africa, Boomerang Africa, and TCM moving from OSN to the latter's beIN Network service, and also caused the HD feed on YahLive to shut down; the actual channel, however, is unaffected due to being a free-to-air channel on Nilesat and Arabsat/Badr. Cartoon Network Arabic was added to beIN as channel 138 as an HD channel, although the HD version was later replaced with the SD version on Arabsat/Badr. CNN International HD was removed from My-HD's channel list and moved to beIN as an encrypted HD channel along with the pay-only HLN, which is in letterboxed SD, but CNN continues to remain available as a free-to-air channel on Nilesat and Arabsat/Badr in SD. However, subscribers to Etisalat and du's IPTV services in the UAE were virtually unaffected at the time. However, due to their direct relations with Turner, UAE Telecoms, Etisalat and Du continue to offer these channels to IPTV subscribers.[4] Additionally, inVision in Saudi Arabia, Ooredoo in Qatar and Cablevision in Lebanon offer Cartoon Network and Boomerang as well.
On March 17, 2023, Twitter user Chahine Arfaoui posted a video of the channel getting hijacked and playing an unofficial animation of Roddy Ricch's Ballin. The video went viral on YouTube, before it was revealed to be a hoax.
The channel mainly airs animated cartoons from Cartoon Network Studios. Original productions, films, shorts, live-action series, and shows from various studios are produced and aired.
Animated programs aired include original Cartoon Network Studios productions like the Ben 10 reboot, Regular Show, Powerpuff Girls reboot, Uncle Grandpa, Clarence, Adventure Time, and We Bare Bears, as well as programs produced by other studios (such as Hasbro Studios'[5] Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Warner Bros. Animation's Teen Titans Go!, Justice League Action, Rainbow's 44 Cats and Mattel WildBrain's Polly Pocket, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic etc.). The channel mainly airs animated cartoons from Cartoon Network Studios. Local productions like Mansour are produced and aired along with films, shorts, live-action series, and shows from various other studios.
The channel is one of the only available in Arabic (the other being Spacetoon), with no choice but to switch to English or any other language. This is due to the fact that the channel is a free-to-air TV channel aimed solely at an Arabic-speaking audience.
The channel broadcasts a line of Cartoon Network's own shows dubbed in English. Cartoon Network Arabic has also offered numerous localized shows, such as Mansour and the Arabic version of Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge, which are the result of various partnerships deals with local production companies, including the Dubai-based Lammtara Pictures (Freej) or the Jordan-based Rubicon Group Holding (Ben & Izzy, Tareq wa Shireen). The channel often edits certain programs for content, cutting out certain scenes due to potentially inappropriate content for Arabs. In September 2018, Cartoon Network Arabic started airing Kral Şakir as -ليث the king-.
In 2011, Turner Broadcasting System Europe had announced that it would roll out its UK-based preschoolers' channel Cartoonito across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, increasing the brand's distribution to 125 million homes in 112 territories.[8] On Cartoon Network Arabic, Cartoonito was launched as a morning block broadcast every day starting from 4 September 2011. However, the block was phased out on 1 April 2014, with some of its shows no longer available (although Baby Looney Tunes broadcasts on Boomerang HD and LazyTown airs on CN Arabic early in the morning).
Later on, the Cartoonito block returned on 24 March 2019 with 4 shows, 1 returning is Baby Looney Tunes with 3 new additions to Cartoonito which are Grizzy and the Lemmings, Pat the Dog and Fireman Sam.
On 17 May 2020, the Cartoonito block has been expanded from being broadcast at 6:30 KSA, and runs until 10:30 KSA. But last month, the block logo has been changed and made a new logo mixed between CARTOON (from Cartoon Network) and OO & ito (from Cartoonito).
On 6 February 2022, Cartoonito rebranded with the new 2021 logo and bumpers alongside its Turkish counterpart as part of the brand's Global re-introduction.[9]
In March 2012, Cartoon Network Arabic became available in true high-definition via the YahLive service.[10] The channel was eventually moved under beIN Network's service after the exclusivity deal was in effect in January 2016. In May 2016, the channel was suspended in favor of Cartoon Network MENA and Boomerang MENA that were later launched in July that year, as they both feature an Arabic audio track. until cartoon network arabic hd return this time in badr 26
A two-hour timeshift channel variant launched on 30 June 2014 via the My-HD pay TV network. It was terminated on 1 January 2016 as a consequence of Turner Broadcasting System Arabia's deal with beIN Media Group.
On 1 April 2016, Qatar-based beIN Media Group, in association with Turner Broadcasting System Arabia, launched Cartoon Network Hindi exclusively via beIN. Cartoon Network Hindi provides children's animated programming to most South Asian expatriates in Arab World countries outside of India. As the name implies, the channel is only available in Hindi, which is akin to the Arab World's own pan-aired channel.