Development Alert: Boomerang In The Middle East, North Africa And Asia To Become Cartoonito

Cartoonito is the leading destination owned by Warner Bros. Discovery which distributes a variety of preschool content in the form of programming blocks across various Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels alongside standalone services.

During the year, Warner Bros. Discovery had been phasing out several Boomerang feeds across the world. Of course, there was various feeds which have yet to switchover to Cartoonito with the latter continuing to supply select content such as Batwheels and Interstellar Ella.

In the recent weeks, it had confirmed by Warner Bros. Discovery within the regions particularly MENA and Asia particularly Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, the introduction of Cartoonito from September 4th and July 28th respectively.

According to WBD Asia, the move is “part of a big regional and global commitment by WBD to preschool content.” It follows Cartoonito rebrands and launches in other international territories including EMEA and LatAm.

Boomerang favourites including “Tom & Jerry,” “Baby Looney Tunes,” “Alice & Lewis,” “Pat the Dog” and “Grizzy and the Lemmings” will remain on the channel alongside other series like "Dino Ranch and recent additions Batwheels and Bugs Bunny Builders.

It's currently unknown if MENA will offer a similar lineup as seen in Asia but it's been speculated by various consumers that similar to EMEA. Cartoonito will likely keep Boomerang's remaining programming as WBD EMEA beside managing the brand in Africa also manage these regions.

Schedule Update: A Magical Love Story And King Of Hearts Coming Soon To Star Life And Zee One Respectively

King Of Hearts - premieres 1 July on Zee One

Siddharth, a hotelier, takes up the responsibility of repairing the relationship between his independent wife, Roshni, and his enterprising mother-in-law, Durga Devi.

It stars Ravi Dubey, Nia Sharma, Achint Kaur, Indraneil Sengupta, Shiny Doshi, Ahmad Harhash and Mouli Ganguly.

A Magical Love Story - premieres 17 July on Star Life

It tells the story of Aman who lives under the dark shadow of a Jinn while Roshni is blessed with angelic qualities. What turn will Aman and Roshni's lives take when the two entangle in a 'magical' love story?

It stars Vikram Singh Chauhan, Aditi Sharma, Shruti Sharma, Smita Bansal and Garima Vikrant Singh.

Reminder: Get Ready For A Trash-Tastic Adventure With The Hilarious And Action-Packed Garbage Boy And Trash Can Premiering On Cartoon Network Africa On Monday, 17 July @ 16:45 CAT

He's a superhero with no actual superpowers, and his sidekick is a trash can, but that's not going to stop young Tobi from using absolutely anything he finds to set off on a world of amazing adventures in Garbage Boy and Trash Can, the first Cartoon Network superhero animated comedy series to be produced in Africa.

Premiering on Cartoon Network Africa on 17 July at 16:45 CAT, Garbage Boy and Trash Can was commissioned by Cartoon Network Africa following Nigerian animator Ridwan Moshood winning the CN Creative Lab initiative. The series was produced in collaboration with the newly-formed animation production company Pure Garbage, a South African-based company specially launched for the project, which is a partnership between series creator Ridwan Moshood, Mike de Seve, head of US multi–Emmy Award-winning studio Baboon Animation and Nick Wilson, founder of African Animation Network (AAN). Magic Carpet, a leading Nigerian animation studio, co-produced the show, and actors from Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria and the USA voice the characters. This global collaboration marks the first innovative model in animation between talents from Africa, Europe, and the US under Cartoon Network's creative production process – a process intended to train and mentor African talent and produce content of international broadcast quality. 

He may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound or run faster than a speeding locomotive, but Garbage Boy's belief in his superpowers may just be his actual superpower! Where most people see trash, Garbage Boy sees unlimited opportunities for fun and adventure. Whether it's building a bazooka out of some old PVC piping that fires wads of mouldy socks or an electron microscope from broken VCR parts, Garbage Boy believes that everything – even garbage - is worthwhile. Exiled from his home planet, the alien robot, Trash Can, is driven by his sense of duty. He has an infinite intellect, a cyber-noggin filled with galaxies of knowledge and a compact, metallic frame housing an endless number of gadgets. Together, they tackle their major enemies – boredom and Dr Sore Eyes (full name 'Braintomus Bombastus Edgar James Vanessa Sore Eyes, Ph.D.) – although the latter does a pretty good job of thwarting himself as he tries to avenge being shunned by the Academy of Really Real Sciences.

Creator, Director and Art Director Ridwan Moshood found inspiration for the show in the adversity of his childhood. "The inspiration for creating the lead characters came from the derogatory name some bullies used to call me back in junior secondary school. However, I soon realised that this name did not define my identity or limit my potential," he says. "It is this powerful message that I aim to convey to children currently experiencing name-calling and bullying. That's why I decided to create a show centred around the character 'Garbage Boy' who, despite the name, is actually a superhero — a symbol of overcoming adversity and proving that hurtful labels do not determine one's true worth."

The style of Garbage Boy and Trash Can is a homage to the cartoons Moshood watched during his childhood, mainly the Saturday morning shows like Dexter's Laboratory, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, The Powerpuff Girls, and more. "It is Dexter's Laboratory that greatly influences the artistic style of the show, as it remains my favourite Cartoon Network series. In fact, meeting the creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, is a personal aspiration of mine," he says.

Cartoon Network Africa's Creative Lab began its journey in June 2018 as an initiative designed to bring innovative, local short-form content to the channel and its digital platforms while reinforcing the local relevance of the brand. "The Cartoon Network team was amazed by Ridwan's talent and his vision for the show, even then – and we're delighted to see the final product adding to Cartoon Network's diverse and original content," says Ana González, Editorial Lead: Southern Europe and Africa, Kids Brands, Warner Bros. Discovery. "We are proud to produce and bring on air a pure African story with a fantastic Nigerian comedy hero in Garbage Boy and Trash Can, featuring fresh local animation talent and a truly stellar African voice cast to produce local, inclusive content."

Toonami To Be Replaced By Warner TV Next In France, Channel Might Go Dark In Africa Alongside TNT

Warner Bros. Discovery announces the September 4 launch of Warner TV Next, Toonami's new brand identity. Intended primarily for a target audience of 25/49 year olds, Warner TV Next relies on the successful formula of Toonami, the first of the “new generation” channels.

Warner TV Next builds on the legacy of iconic studio Warner Bros., a studio celebrating its centenary throughout 2023. The Warner brand, synonymous with quality, boldness and innovation comes as a landmark for viewers since it is known by 4 out of 5 French people.

Visually, Warner TV Next affirms its affiliation with a Warner TV, the group's series and cinema channel through a new logo developed in-house.

The brand also deploys modern communication codes with very pop culture packaging and graphic codes, based on the emblematic Warner Bros. logo. Warner TV Next, like Warner TV, is marketed by FranceTV Publicité.

Warner TV Next is strong in programming that brings together all DC Comics fans thanks to the best animated series and films from the DC universe (Batman, Superman, Harley Quinn, Young Justice), Japanese animation (DragonBall Super, My Hero Academia) as well as wrestling with, exclusively, the AEW league. 

Warner TV Next also offers Adult Swim programs, the mark of all audacity, with animated series and fiction for millennials such as Rick and Morty, Robot Chicken, Royal Crackers, The Eric André Show or Primal. 

In other developments, Boomerang in the Middle East and North Africa will rebrand to Cartoonito on the same day Warner TV Next is launched. Similar to Cartoonito Africa, both brands will be offering the same content and only recieve a new coat of paint.

Interesting to note, Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the same scenario with TNT when it replaced TCM in 2018 in Africa. Now the channel airs a lot of modern age films some of which haven't been viewed on low tiered film channels and is home to wrestling promotion, AEW.

It currently ranks as the most watched movie channel in the South African market pulling at least 10 million households. As for Toonami, Warner Bros. Discovery has been very discreet in regards to performance and new content which puts it in precarious position.

Unlike France, Toonami was a 24 DC animation channel rehashing anime like Dragonball Super from Cartoon Network alongside other content like Justice League, Green Lantern, Teen Titans and Batman I mean not even Harley Quinn despite its rebrand in 2021.

It wouldn't seem far fetched if some changes awaited the channel and part of this had to with Warner TV. Our theory is that Toonami is dissolved with further content being divided between Cartoon Network, Boing and TNT.

The French team of Toonami also handled the channel in Africa so it's demise is inevitable.

Another brand whose future comes into question is TNT, Warner TV has been phasing out the brand across European territories in the general entertainment aspect. Warner TV could be something Warner Bros. Discovery explores for the market at some point.

Development Alert: Telemundo Will Be Undergoing More Schedule Adjustments In The Coming Weeks Across Africa

During the month, Telemundo had phased out their remaining primetime offering as mentioned Nurses ended a month early and that was the only show that was actually building up most of their schedule as the rest of the lineup was funneled with rebroadcasts.

Although, there's no actual word on when or if primetime will ever resume. Telemundo is expected to make some more rounds to their current offering.

Nurses and Law Of The Heart were slotted for the coming month or at least from what a DStv user saw on the programme guide. In an enquiry to MultiChoice, it was stated that further episodes for both shows could be seen on Universal+ through the DStv app.

Several shows are ending next month such as On The Other Side Of The Wall, Lord Of The Skies and Queen Of The South. I was told new content was meant to rollout on the channel but due to changing regulations it was halted.

Bringing us to our 7 day lineup, this is what the channel will look like in the coming months.

06:10 The End Of Paradise

07:00 The End Of Paradise

07:50 Case Closed

08:40 For Love And Justice

09:30 Almost Yours

10:20 Almost Yours

11:10 For Love And Justice

12:00 Case Closed

12:50 The End Of Paradise

13:40 The End Of Paradise

14:30 Almost Yours

15:20 Almost Yours

16:10 For Love And Justice

17:00 Case Closed

18:00 The End Of Paradise

19:00 The End Of Paradise

20:00 Almost Yours

21:00 Almost Yours

22:00 False Identity

23:00 False Identity

00:00 The End Of Paradise

00:50 The End Of Paradise

01:40 Case Closed

02:30 False Identity

03:20 False Identity

04:10 Almost Yours

05:00 Almost Yours

It's being suggested by sources that Case Closed will likely take up the slots used by For Love And Justice once it ends in August. Nothing is certain but based on the matter with Nurses, Telemundo is probably trying to play it safe by limiting the shows.

Cameroon and Uganda's anti-gay laws also include imprisonment and suspension of TV channels. Telemundo's way of airing old content is probably another way to ease the burden for consumers should they get banned from these regions and possibly not air in Africa.