Best-Ever First Quarter Ratings for Cartoon Network

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Cartoon Network Trumpets Best First-Quarter Ratings and Delivery Ever for Target Kid/Tween Demos

Network Posts Largest Net Year-to-Year Quarterly Delivery Gain of Any Basic Cable Network with Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 in Both Prime Time and Total Day

Cartoon Network finished First-Quarter (1Q) 2002 with its best-ever ratings and delivery performance in both prime time and total day with targeted kid and tween demographics. Following are key highlights that comprise the all-animation network's new records:

• Kids 2-11 earned the highest quarterly prime time delivery ever (1,207,000) in Cartoon Network history¯up 11 percent¯while ratings tied last year's 1Q record performance (4.0). In total day, kids 2-11 ratings (2.4) and delivery (738,000) also set new 1Q records, rising 4 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
• Kids 6-11 posted the highest-ever 1Q prime time ratings (3.7, +6%) and delivery (689,000, +20%) as well as their best-ever 1Q total day ratings (2.2, +10%) and delivery (420,000, +32%).
• Tweens 9-14 scored the largest 1Q ratings and delivery gains¯up 10 percent in prime time ratings (2.3) and 25 percent in delivery (435,000), and up 25 percent in total day ratings (1.5) and 41 percent in delivery (279,000).
• Cartoon Network achieved the largest net year-to-year quarterly delivery gain of any ad-supported basic cable network with boys 6-11 and boys 9-14 in total day.

Cartoon Network's 1Q 2002 ratings and delivery growth was further punctuated by the performance of several key programming franchises, series and animated specials:

• Toonami, Cartoon Network's signature weekday afternoon action-adventure block (5-7 p.m.), earned its highest 1Q ratings and delivery ever across all demos, respectively¯tweens 9-14 (2.9, 550,000) up 32 and 48 percent, kids 6-11 (3.6, 675,000) up 38 and 58 percent, and kids 2-11 (3.3, 1,011,000) up 32 and 52 percent.
• Adult Swim, the network's weekend late-night block of original comedy and action-oriented cartoons, continued to increase its target adults 18-34 audience by double-digits. Ratings (0.4) and delivery (208,000) for Adult Swim Comedy (Sunday, 10 p.m.-1 a.m.) grew by 33 percent and 55 percent, respectively. Men 18-34 were particularly drawn to Adult Swim Action (Saturday, 11 p.m.-2 a.m.), with ratings (0.5) up by 25 percent and delivery (111,000) up by 29 percent.
• The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special...Live!...In Stereo (Sat. 3/23, 7-9 p.m.), a spoof of The Oscars®, pushed Cartoon Network to #1 in the time period (7-9 p.m.) with kids 2-11 (5.2, 1,588,000) and households (2.1, 1,617,000) among all basic cable networks. For the Saturday night telecast, 5.13 million different persons tuned in.
• In its new five-hour incarnation, Cartoon Cartoon Friday (Fridays, 7 p.m.-12 a.m.) increased kids 6-11 ratings (4.0) by 14 percent and delivery (746,000) by 29 percent. Tweens 9-14 ratings (2.7) grew by 23 percent and delivery (504,000) by 34 percent.
• Justice League (Sunday, 7 p.m.), the network's newest half-hour series based on the popular DC Comics team of superheroes, scored its highest kids 2-11 and kids 6-11 ratings and deliveries to date on March 10. The telecast earned a 5.5 kids 2-11 rating, up 22 percent and one full rating point, compared to its previous record set in November 2001. Kids 6-11 also earned a 5.5 rating and delivered 1,024,000 viewers, another new record.
• Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (Saturday, March 2, 7-9 p.m.) in Cartoon Theatre delivered more kids 2-11 (1,742,000) and kids 6-11 (941,000) than any other movie on cable for the week of Feb. 25. Of all movies of the week, including broadcast, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was second only to ABC's Sunday evening telecast of Cinderella in delivery of kids 2-11.
• Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (Saturday, Jan. 19, 7-9 p.m.) in Cartoon Theatre earned the movie franchise's highest rating and delivery among kids 2-11 (7.0/2,134,000 viewers), kids 6-11 (6.9/1,305,000 viewers) and tweens 9-14 (4.1/767,000 viewers).

Cartoon Network, currently seen in more than 80.2 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering the best in animated entertainment. Cartoon Network’s Web site is located at http://CartoonNetwork.com.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., an AOL Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.