Time Warner : Cartoon Network Franchises Over-Perform on Free-to-Air Across Europe

Turner's Cartoon Network has been enjoying a raft of strong free-to-air performances from key franchises across Europe it announced today, as the company continues to secure new broadcast and licensing partners across the region.

The brand-new series of The Powerpuff Girls, which made its global return to Cartoon Network in April 2016, has since reached millions of new viewers and beaten average audience figures on a number of its new free-to-air homes, including: CITV (and ITV simulcast) in the UK, where it became the #1 commercial show for girls 4-9 when it launched in Q4 2016 and has since reached over two million viewers and 13% of Kids 4-9; Gulli in France where it won a 19% audience share, an increase on the channel's average audience share of 17.1%; and PULS 2 in Poland, performing above channel average among Kids (+13%) and Younger Kids (+38%), and ranking the #2 show among Young Girls in its launch month. Added to this, the series also enjoyed a strong six-week launch on Turner and Mediaset's joint venture free-to-air channel Boing in Italy, ranking #3 with Kids and #2 with Girls.

Together with The Amazing World of Gumball and French-Canadian animated series Totally Spies, The Powerpuff Girls also allowed Gulli to rank #1 among Housewives with Kids on Sunday 11th June and consistently the #1 channel for Kids 4-10* - a double record for Gulli among both Mums and Kids!

Meanwhile, the all-new series of the worldwide phenomenon Ben 10 has also been delivering strong audience figures across the region. On CITV (and ITV simulcast) it has reached 1.2m viewers and 9% of Boys 4-9, achieved an 18.7% audience share on Gulli and ranked the #2 Kids broadcast on Boing in Italy on its premiere day. Since it began rolling out on Cartoon Network across EMEA in October 2016, Ben 10 has reached 50% of Boys in South Africa, Romania, Spain and Portugal, and more than 1 in 3 Boys in Hungary, Poland and Sweden.

Humphrey Black, VP, Media Distribution, Turner EMEA said: 'These results really demonstrate the enduring power of strong kids' brands - and, in a world where entertainment choices are increasing almost by the day, the appeal of those trusted and loved brands is proving vital to cut-through. It's on this basis that we continue to develop and invest in these tried and tested IP, delivering new content across a range of platforms that build on the already strong awareness and affinity, and make them an ever-attractive proposition for broadcast partners.'

Johanne Broadfield, VP, Cartoon Network Enterprises added: 'The early success of PPG and Ben 10 is a great indication of engagement - kids are choosing to tune in and watch our shows despite all the other great content out there. The product launches for lined up for this autumn and 2018 will offer kids new ways to interact with the brands they love, and we look forward to revealing more details of these, as well as new licensing partnerships in the coming months.'

Cartoon Network's longer-running franchises, The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time continue to achieve in free-to-air too. Among other successes, Q1 2017 saw Gumball deliver +56% on Danish FTA channel DR Ultra's average Kid audience, ranking the channel's #1 show, whilst Adventure Time outperformed the channel average by +14% among Young Kids. Both shows have also been key contributors on Gulli, with Gumball ranking #4 among Kids 4-14 and Adventure Time delivering a 19% audience share.

Cartoon Network recently announced that it had greenlit a second season of its all-new Ben 10 series, as well as a live-action gameshow, entitled Ben 10 Challenge, which is currently in production in Madrid, in eight languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Turkish).

*Share achieved by PPG among HWS+K is double that of Totally Spies (12.4% vs. 6%).This is also true of Gumball whose share ranges between 13.5% and 17.1%.

About Turner International
Turner International operates versions of core Turner brands including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and TCM Turner Classic Movies, as well as country- and region-specific networks and businesses in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific. It teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner's global reach. Through its local companies, Turner operates more than 175 channels and services, showcasing 40 brands in 33 languages in over 200 countries including 61 channels in 14 languages in 42 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region; 67 channels in 19 languages in 125 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa; and 57 channels in three languages in 44 countries in Latin America. Turner International's entertainment, news and sports services are Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, Boing, Boomerang, Cartoonito, Cartoon Network, Chilevisión, CNN Chile, CNN en Español, CNN International, CNNj, Eleague, Esporte Interativo, EI Maxx, EI Maxx 2, Glitz*, HBO, HBO HD, HLN, HTV, I.Sat, Mondo TV, MuchMusic, Oh!K, Pogo, Space, Tabi Channel, tbs, TNT, TNT Comedy, TNT Film, TNT Serie, TNT Series, Toonami, Tooncast, TruTV, TCM, TCM Cinema, Warner TV and WB. Turner International is a Time Warner company.