Cartoon Network will air its much-anticipated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" on Fridays this fall as part of a new "fantasy/adventure" block, the network said at its upfront presentation Thursday.
The new "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" will join the animated series from George Lucas on that night. The network also said it will try to brand Thursdays as a comedy night with a
second season of "Chowder" (which premiered in November) and several other current series, including "George of the Jungle." And it will launch an unnamed Sunday night movie franchise in June.
The "Star Wars" series "is a game-changer for us and continues our commitment to staying in the forefront of offering kids something completely different than what they are seeing anywhere else," said
Stuart Snyder, COO of Turner Broadcasting's animation unit.
The network said it is establishing "The Cartoonstitute" as a platform or "think tank" for developing "150 pieces of programming over a
period of 20 months." Part of the initiative includes building an in-house team of artists, directors and writers to create multi-platform content.
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"The time spent by kids across all of our
platforms lets us know that they are deeply engaged in what is being offered by Cartoon and are experiencing the network in a variety of ways," said Beth Goss, executive vice president of ad sales.
"Our portfolio is appealing to our audience and with marketers as well, thanks to strong branding, dynamic programming and innovative promotion."
Cartoon Network is in more than 91 million homes
and becomes Adult Swim in late-night.