Cartoon Network

What Cartoon Network does

Cartoon Network is a children's animated entertainment brand founded in 1992 by Turner Broadcasting System and now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD). It operates as a branded channel within the HBO Max streaming platform, offering on-demand animated series and specials such as Adventure Time, Regular Show, Craig of the Creek, Total Dramarama, We Baby Bears, and Lamput. The brand is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with approximately 510 employees, and its content is targeted primarily at families with children, with a secondary audience of animation enthusiasts consuming nostalgic or adult-oriented titles from the catalog.

The company's distribution model is exclusively streaming-based via HBO Max, which is accessible through web browsers, mobile apps, connected TV apps, and set-top box applications globally across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Revenue is generated through content licensing to HBO Max (internal licensing within the Warner Bros. Discovery group), with HBO Max operating a tiered subscription model: Basic With Ads at $10.99/month, Standard at $18.49/month, Premium at $22.99/month, and Disney+/Hulu bundle offerings at $19.99-$32.99/month. The platform supports WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA accessibility standards and maintains an audio description library of over 8,000 hours.

Cartoon Network has undergone multiple corporate restructurings since its founding: Turner Broadcasting was acquired by Time Warner in 1996, which merged with AOL in 2000 before spinning off in 2009; AT&T acquired Time Warner in 2018, renaming it WarnerMedia, which then merged with Discovery, Inc. in 2022 to form Warner Bros. Discovery. The brand does not operate as a standalone legal entity with disclosed revenue, operates no independent app, holds no patents, and has no dedicated investment in AI/ML capabilities or proprietary technology platforms.

Name

Cartoon Network

Legal name

Cartoon Network (brand owned by Warner Bros. Discovery)

Website

https://cartoonnetwork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cartoon Network is a Warner Bros. Discovery-owned children's animated entertainment brand, distributing its content library exclusively through HBO Max streaming to families and animation enthusiasts globally. The company operates as a content production unit within the WBD ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Animated Entertainment

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids’ General Entertainment Channels (Ages 6–11) (MPABAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Family Cable Networks (MPABAFAF), Kids & Preschool Animation Production (MPADACAJ), Kids & Family Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAG)

Keywords

• Animated television programming
• Children's entertainment brand
• Cable television channel
• Streaming content licensing
• Family animation series

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Streaming Content Licensing: Cartoon Network shows are licensed and made available for streaming on HBO Max platform, generating revenue through content licensing agreements with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cartoon Network produces and distributes animated entertainment content for children and families, with programming delivered through the HBO Max streaming platform and legacy cable/satellite distribution. The content catalog includes established animated series and specials such as Adventure Time, Regular Show, Craig of the Creek, Total Dramarama, We Baby Bears, Lamput, and Villainous, aimed at kids and family co-viewing audiences.

Product overview

HBO Max is a streaming platform that offers Cartoon Network branded content alongside its broader entertainment library. The Cartoon Network channel within HBO Max provides access to animated shows and family-friendly content. The platform operates on a tiered subscription model with Basic With Ads ($10.99/month), Standard ($18.49/month), and Premium ($22.99/month) tiers, plus bundle options with Disney+ and Hulu. Content includes live sports streaming, audio description accessibility features, and closed captioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cartoon Network Channel on HBO Max Branded channel within HBO Max offering animated shows and specials for kids and families, featuring Cartoon Network properties such as Craig of the Creek, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Total Dramarama, We Baby Bears, Lamput, and Villainous.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO Max)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCartoon Network content is distributed through HBO Max streaming platform owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. This is an internal content distribution relationship where Cartoon Network programming is made available to HBO Max subscribers.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Disney Channel: Disney Channel is a direct competitor in kids/family entertainment, now streaming-first via Disney+, and competes head-to-head with Cartoon Network for the same family subscription and household viewing share.
• PBS Kids: PBS Kids is a publicly funded children's educational network and streaming destination that competes for the same family/kids audience with a complementary educational positioning versus Cartoon Network's general entertainment focus.
• Nickelodeon: Nickelodeon is the closest direct peer, operating as a dedicated children's entertainment cable channel and streaming brand (Paramount+) with animated and live-action kids programming targeting the same age demographic.
• Disney Junior: Disney Junior is the Disney-branded preschool/kids channel focused on the younger demographic (ages 2–7), directly competing with Cartoon Network's preschool-adjacent content for early-childhood family viewers.
• Discovery Kids: Discovery Kids is a sibling brand under Warner Bros. Discovery (post-merger) and represents an internal/portfolio peer in the kids/family entertainment category with fact-based and adventure programming.

Emerging players

• Crunchyroll: Crunchyroll is an anime-focused streaming platform partially overlapping Cartoon Network's animation programming (e.g., Toonami legacy) and competing for older kids/teen animation viewership.
• WildBrain (formerly DHX Media): WildBrain is a children's entertainment and animation company operating the Teletoon and Family Channel networks plus a large content library, directly comparable to Cartoon Network as a dedicated kids content producer and licensor.

Broad incumbents

• Peacock Kids: Peacock (NBCUniversal) is a broad streaming incumbent with a dedicated kids vertical that competes for the same Cartoon Network family audience via Comcast/NBCUniversal's kids animation slate.
• Hulu Kids: Hulu offers kids programming and is bundled directly with HBO Max (Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle), making it both a partner and a peer competing for the family streaming subscription.
• Netflix Kids: Netflix Kids is a broad streaming incumbent's kids vertical competing for the same subscription wallet, offering extensive original kids animation and a much larger content investment footprint than Cartoon Network's catalog.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cartoonnetwork

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cartoon Network