In an effort to widen its demographic reach across the pond, Turner Broadcasting is making over its UK Toonami channel into a Cartoon Network Too feed that will start on May 24 on Sky, Tiscali TV, Virgin TV and Top Up TV.
That will free up a stream for a Cartoonito preschool channel, which builds on the block that is currently airing daily on Cartoon Network Too between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. The new outlet will continue to emphasize educational content and commission exclusive short-form live-action content. But it will now be augmented by French-language insterstitals designed to encourage bilingual communication.
The Cartoonito block debuted last September, and its current schedule includes Barney, Hi-5 and Pororo. Additional programming will be added to pad out defined blocks that mirror the typical preschooler’s day, including a storytelling block and a bedtime block.
All of Turner’s UK channels, including Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network Too, Boomerang, Boomerang +1 and the new Cartoonito, will undergo a reface throughout the rest of this year.