Fox Kids shifts afternoon block

Fox U.S. affiliate stations, faced with strong kids competition from the 24-hour family cable channels and Kids’ WB!, have elected to move their two-hour daily Fox Kids program block up one hour (to 2 p.m. from the original start time of 3 p.m.) this fall. Fox Kids executives officially have no comment, but it has been reported that many local stations have urged Fox to drop the kids block completely or skew the programming toward teen and young adult-oriented audiences. No further decisions will be made on this matter until the annual Fox affiliates meeting in January.

Arabian nights get Cartooned

As part of a multiyear deal inked between TBS and direct-to-home operator The Arab Radio and Television Satellite Network, Cartoon Network has debuted as a 24-hour channel in the Middle East. The new satellite platform deal adds more than 10,000 new households to Cartoon’s international reach, as it now appears on both Arabsat and NileSat.