Cartoon Network was first launched in the US in October 1992, by one of the world's leading media companies, Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). Cartoon Network not only showed famous cartoons, but also original shows developed in-house such as Mike, Lu & Og, Ed, Edd n Eddy, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Cartoon Cartoons and Dexter's Laboratory. These cartoons became extremely popular across the world, making Cartoon Network one of the leading children's entertainment channels during the 1990s. According to Cartoon Network sources, in February 2001, the channels had a subscriber base of over 75 million in 145 countries. Analysts attributed the success of Cartoon Network to its appeal to the entire family, its original programming content and its advanced programming technologies. Cartoon Network entered India in October 1995, sharing airtime with Turner Network Television (TNT). While Cartoon Network was shown in the morning slot of 5 a.m.-9 p.m., TNT showed classic Hollywood movies in the night slot (9 p.m-5 a.m.). In the late 1990s, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) replaced TNT, though the content remained the same. As the pioneer in the Indian cartoon and animation market, Cartoon Network quickly gained popularity and a huge fan following in major metros. Prior to Cartoon Network's entry, Indian TV viewers could see cartoons only during a few time-slots on the state-owned Doordarshan and some other satellite TV channels. The channel realized that it would have to build cartoon/animation viewership virtually from scratch. In addition, it had the task of building its brand equity amidst the clutter of numerous satellite TV channels. However, as there were no established players, it was not very difficult for Cartoon Network to get itself registered in the viewer's mind as a channel synonymous with cartoons. Soon, the globally popular cartoons became household names in the country. The entry of other players into the market during the late 1990s resulted in intense competition. Kermit and Nickelodeon, leading children's channels entered India in 1999 and soon garnered impressive viewership figures. The Star, Zee, and SAB TV networks also started airing cartoons during specific time-slots. To succeed in this competitive environment, Cartoon Network worked out a broad strategy that emphasized on 'localization' and marketing. It localized the content by dubbing its cartoons in Hindi (January 1999) to appeal to the Hindi-speaking audiences. The first dubbed program, 'Toon Tamasha,' was received very well. The channel then started offering Hindi versions of various popular cartoons. By February 2000, Cartoon Network was offering nine hours of Hindi programming every day. Taking its localization efforts further, the channel introduced Tamil-dubbed shows in February 2000. Kathy McClaure, Vice President Programming, Turner Network, Asia, said, "The bringing in of Tamil-dubbed cartoons is to further reinforce Cartoon Network's commitment to bring localized programming." Hindi and Tamil dubbing was done in collaboration with Indian TV software production house UTV. By mid- 2000, Cartoon Network reached an estimated 10 million homes in India, appealing to children between 4 and 14 years. But many parents objected to dubbing in local languages because they wanted their children to learn a few English words and phrases through the medium of cartoons. In focus group discussions conducted by the Center for Advocacy and Research in early 2002, many parents voiced their concerns and objections about the Hindi versions because their children were picking up inappropriate language from them. As a result, Cartoon Network had to temporarily suspend all Hindi programming and conduct a 'Standards and Practices' review. Commenting on this, a Cartoon Network spokesperson said, "It has been our observation that no real industry standard has been set for the quality of Hindi dubbed children's TV content. We have also observed that what is considered acceptable language differs widely among the small minority of parents supervising their children's TV viewing." Following the review, Cartoon Network decided to use the lower end of the tolerance scale as a new benchmark for measuring the quality of its Hindi content and also began to re-dub shows that needed language corrections/improvements. The network restarted its Hindi transmissions in May 2002. Sources at the channel were confident of sustaining their leadership position in the market on account of its first mover advantage, its rigorous promotional activities and, its indigenization efforts.

1. The Indian TV audience is largely ‘movie-sports-news’ centric.” In light of this statement, critically comment on Cartoon Network’s decision to enter the Indian market. Also discuss the initiatives that helped it become a leader in the children’s TV entertainment segment. 2. Do you think Cartoon Network’s localization of content destroyed the entertainment value of the original, classic cartoons?