Cartoon Network takes a hit on Adult Swim

[Alzrius]

Quoted from the news page over at animenation.com:

"According to the New York Daily News, the Cartoon Network's viewing audience has dropped by 15% since last year. According to the article, media analysts claim that the Cartoon Network's concentration on its Adult Swim program has led to a decline in young viewers, significantly hurting the network's market position and viability. It's suggested that the Cartoon Network shifted too much attention to its late-night adult cartoon block instead of concentrating on its more profitable children's market. "They got sidetracked and they stumbled," the article states. The Cartoon Network has not introduced a "big hit" since 1998's Powerpuff Girls. The network is hoping to begin a recovery with five new original programs including the Star Wars Clone Wars shorts."

Now, as you probably know, most of the Adult Swim lineup is made up of anime. While this article doesn't say that anything will be done about either their Adult Swim lineup or their anime showings in general, this definately does not seem like a good indicator of things to come.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Well, they seem to be heading in the right direction to me, by recently picking up Rurouni Kenshin (in afternoons) and Trigun (part of Adult Swim), two fairly popular series.

Also, I'd disagree that Power Puff Girls is their most recent big success. Samurai Jack and Justice League are both exclusive to CN, and have been quite successful as far as I can tell.

 

[jdavis]

I think the numbers are changing and that the first quarter is making a rebound. I am not worried about Adult Swim it is catching on as they get better shows.

I picked this article up at AnimeLib.com
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Ratings Rise Continues at Cartoon Network, 'KND,' 'Jack' and Adult Swim Strong

Cartoon Network has something to cheer about as ratings rose in the the First Quarter 2003, thanks in part to the success of Codename: Kids Next Door and the growth of the Adult Swim programming block. Additionally, Samurai Jack and Pokemon have preformed modestly well for the network, helping to decrease a ratings slide.

Compared to Fourth Quarter 2002 (4Q02), overall 1Q03 kids 2-11 total day delivery (615,000) grew 8% and rating (1.5) grew 7%. Kids 6-11 delivery (346,000) also gained 8%, as did rating (1.4). In prime time, kids 2-11 delivery (1,001,000) and rating (2.5) increased by 9%, while kids 6-11 delivery (574,000) grew by 9% and rating (2.3) increased by 10%.

Among individual series, Codename: Kids Next Door (Fridays, 7 and 10 p.m.), continued its scorching pace of setting new series delivery and ratings records, earning significant double-digit gains among key kid audiences across 1Q03. It also ranked as the network's most-watched regularly scheduled program in 1Q03.

Pokémon (Monday-Thursday, 9 p.m.) and Samurai Jack (Monday-Thursday, 10 p.m.) each proved to be the highest-rated shows on all cable television in their respective time periods during 1Q03 with kid demos and boys 2-11 and 6-11.

Among daytime programming, Baby Looney Tunes posted significant 1Q03 delivery and ratings gains vs. the same time period last year.

In other Cartoon Network news, Adult Swim (Sunday-Thursday, 11 p.m.-2 a.m.) is now averaging double and triple-digit gains among adults 18-34 and adults 18-24 since its premiere in strip on Jan. 12, 2003. Adults 18-34 delivery (309,000) has ballooned by 80%, and ratings (0.6) by 100%. Adults 18-24 delivery (182,000) has mushroomed by 152%, and ratings (0.7) by 133%.

 

[Granduke]

Myself Im a fan of Cartoon Networkd shift toward anime and adult type programming. I am slightly mystidfied altho pleased that they concentrate so much on Adult Swim.

Could tho the fact that ratings have dropped for AS because so much of the block is reruns? I mean Home Movies alone is probably in its 6th or 7th run-it gets old after a while...

 

[Sixchan]

I'm not sure I get what Adult Swim is. Do they switch from CN to AS at nights?

In the UK, we get a seperate channel called CNX, and that shows all the CN anime, the more 'adult' cartoons like Johnny Quest and Justice League, plus one or two sport and music programs, and Asian movies (mostly of the martial arts type).

It's a pretty good channel, and the only real problems I have with it are the terrible times they show stuff at. Cowboy Bebop was coming on at 7:30, I believe. This is right when Coronation Street (a soap my housemates watch) is on, meaning I can't watch it. And Outlaw Star is coming on after 3am.

On thursdays, we get anime films on the Sci-Fi channel as well (or we used to, I haven't watched it in a while), and we used to get actual shows on on weekends.


Of course, the downside to all of this is that it's virtually impossible to buy anime in shops.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Adult Swim is just cartoons that are primarily geared towards adults and older teens. Here is the US, all shows now carry ratings, like G, PG, and so on, and CN has a cautionary warning that Adult Swim cartoons may contain violence, bad language, and sexual situations.

The funny thing is, cartoons still get edited for Adult Swim. If you look at the synopses for Cowboy Bebop
here, you see how much of the blood and language and drug references got edited out of the original dubbed version.

 

[WayneLigon]

The funny thing is, cartoons still get edited for Adult Swim.

That being the reason that I don't watch any of it.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Of course, the downside to all of this is that it's virtually impossible to buy anime in shops.

Which is odd, because here in Iceland it's fairly easy to buy Anime in shops and it's all imported from the UK, like all TV material-on-tape.

 

[Sixchan]

Weird. In Glasgow at least, there are only 3 shops AFAIK that sell manga, and none that sell Anime in large amounts (of course, you can buy Akira anywhere). There are more shops in England, but I've still not found it very common.

All the Anime I buy I get from United Publications, which imports American DVDs that I can buy online.

 

[WayneLigon]

Of course, the downside to all of this is that it's virtually impossible to buy anime in shops.

Anime on DVD can give you some idea of what to expect from a particular series or DVD. Then just order it off the net.