Cartoons were introduced for the first time on Television in 1950 with Jay Ward’s “Crusader Rabbit” in the US. The development of cartoons specifically for Television did not begin till 1960’s as feature films ruled the market, but by the 1970’s some of the best known cartoon series were developed. ‘Scooby Doo,’ ‘The Flintstones,’ ‘The Jetsons,’ The Speed Buggy’ and ‘The Snorks’. The leading producers of the cartoon series were Hanna Barbera, Filmation and DIC. With the advent of satellite broadcasting technology during the mid 1970’s it became possible for Television networks to air their programs all over the world. By the 1980’s, Television established itself as a powerful medium of communication and new strategies were devised by television companies to stay ahead in the game. One such strategy was the development of programmes that targeted specific sections of the community. A few of the television channels decided to focus on children and began developing programmes that would appeal to them.
It was to leverage this niche market that channels like Cartoon Network came into existence. It was launched in October 1992 in the US by one of the world’s leading media companies, Turner Broadcasting System. It offered animation programmes from TBS’s extensive library of more than 10,000 Warner Bros, Hanna-Barbera and MGM cartoons. Over the next few years the channel launched in different parts of the globe showing not only their famous cartoons, but also developing original shows. Cartoon Network entered India in October 1995, sharing airtime with Turner Network Television (TNT). As the pioneer in the Indian cartoon and animation market, Cartoon Network quickly gained popularity and had a huge fan base in the metropolitan cities.
When Cartoon Network entered India, there were no established players and it was not very difficult for the Network to entrench itself in the minds of the children and register itself as a