Boomerang (Middle Eastern and African TV channel)

Boomerang EMEA (formerly Boomerang HQ) is the collective title for two children's channels that air animated series; Boomerang Africa — a feed for Africa, and Boomerang MENA — a feed for the Middle East, in addition to Greece and Cyprus. Both channels are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its International division.

For the original American version, see Boomerang (TV network).
Boomerang
CountryAfrica
Middle East
Greece
Cyprus
Broadcast areaMENA (MENA feed)
Sub-Saharan Africa (African feed)
Greece (MENA feed)
Cyprus (MENA feed)
HeadquartersTurner House, Great Marlborough Street, London, United Kingdom
Programming
Language(s)English (MENA and Africa versions)
Arabic (MENA version)
Greek (MENA version in Greece and Cyprus)
Picture format16:9 (576i, SDTV)
(Africa version)
16:9 (1080i, HDTV)
(downgraded to 16:9 576i for SDTVs; MENA version)
Ownership
OwnerWarner Bros. Discovery EMEA
Sister channelsCartoon Network
CNN International
TNT Africa
Cartoon Network Arabic
Cartoon Network Hindi
HLN
Boing
Toonami
Discovery Channel
Discovery Family
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
TLC
Food Network
Travel Channel
History
Launched5 June 2005 (5 June 2005) (Boomerang Africa)
1 July 2016 (1 July 2016) (Boomerang Middle East)
Former namesBoomerang HQ (2005–2015)
Links
WebsiteBoomerang Middle East website

History

Boomerang EMEA was launched on 5 June 2005 as a channel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It broadcast in English, and also offered Polish and Hungarian audio tracks for Poland and Hungary respectively.

In December 2005, a Greek audio track was added on Greek and Cypriot TV providers.

The African website, BoomerangTVAfrica.com, launched in 2010.[1] but for a brief time redirected to BoomerangHQ.net.

In 2008, the network added an Arabic audio track. In October 2010, the channel started broadcasting shows in Romanian.

On 12 October 2011, a dedicated Central and Eastern European feed (serving Poland, Hungary and Romania) was launched, featuring its own schedule with Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, and English audio. Around the same time, preschool brand Cartoonito was added to both feeds as a morning block. Despite the split, Boomerang EMEA continued to air in Africa and the Arab world, as well as in the Netherlands, Flanders, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and select TV operators in the Czech Republic.

The channel ceased broadcast in Portugal on 31 December 2013, due to the launch of the Portuguese Cartoon Network. Despite this, an individual European Portuguese feed would launch in 2015 for Angola and Mozambique, and in 2018 for Portugal.

On 1 November 2014, all Benelux and Czech TV providers switched over to Boomerang CEE, leaving Greece and Cyprus as the only European countries that continued to carry Boomerang EMEA.

On 14 January 2015, the channel adopted the global rebrand and renamed itself as Boomerang Africa.

On 1 July 2016, Boomerang MENA – an official feed for the Arab world–launched to replace the African feed on that region's TV providers, as well as in Greece and Cyprus. The HD channel carries a separate schedule and set of censorship rules, with three audio tracks: English, Arabic, and Greek.

Boomerang Africa switched to 16:9 widescreen on 21 September 2016. On 4 March 2019, it began broadcasting in HD.

Cartoonito programming block

In Africa, Cartoonito was launched as a morning block for the pan-European feed of Boomerang, broadcasting for seven days a week beginning on 12 October 2011. The block ended on 1 January 2014. In May 2021, WarnerMedia EMEA announced plans to revive the brand within their region.

The Cartoonito block returned on Boomerang on 4 April 2022.[2][3]

Logos
  • June 5, 2005-January 14, 2015
  • January 14, 2015-present (July 1, 2016 to present on Boomerang MENA)
  • Programming block, April 4, 2022-present

Sister channels

TNT Africa
Main article: TNT Africa

Unlike other counterparts, TNT Africa is a movie channel that launched in TCM's place and inherited some of its offering. As of January 2021, AEW Dynamite airs on the channel.

Cartoon Network
Main article: Cartoon Network (Middle Eastern and African TV channel)

Cartoon Network is a television channel offering animation ranging from action to comedy for children aged 7–14.

Boing
Main article: Boing (African TV channel)

Boing is a television channel that airs repeats of programs formerly seen on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It launched on 30 May 2015, as the fourth extension of Turner's larger Boing brand.

Toonami

Toonami is a television channel catered towards young adults consisting of DC animation from Batman, Superman and Young Justice. It launched in 2017 on Kwesé TV until the platform went defunct in 2019. Then it was made available on Cell C's defunct streaming service Black for that same year.

In March 2020, the channel was revived as a 2 month pop-up channel on DStv and GOtv thereafter it was made available full-time on the StarTimes platform after its closure. As of March 2021, Toonami can also be found on Canal+, Intelvision, Azam TV and Zuku TV.

Discovery Channel
Main articles: Discovery Channel Europe and Discovery Channel (Middle East and North Africa)

Discovery Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Discovery, is a subscription television channel that airs documentaries related to popular science, technology and history. In a similar format to National Geographic and History Channel. Also in the DStv platform on channel 121.

Discovery Family

Unlike its american counterpart but much like its french counterpart, Discovery Family is a family-oriented specialty TV channel that launched in Discovery World's place and inherited some of its offering.

Food Network

Food Netowrk is a television channel that focuses on both special and regular episodic programs about food and cooking.

HGTV

HGTV is an South African television channel on DStv that primarily airs broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate.

Investigation Discovery
Main article: Investigation Discovery (European TV channel)

Investigation Discovery is a television channel dedicated to true crime documentaries.

Real Time
Main article: Real Time (TV channel)

Real Time is a television channel that airs lifestyle programming targeting to a female upper-class audience.

TLC

TLC is a lifestyle television channel which airs reality shows involving lifestyles, family life and personal stories.

OWN

The OWN programming block used to be airing on October 17, 2013, But the block was discontinued a few years later.[4]

Travel Channel
Main article: Travel Channel International

Travel Channel is an African television channel that features documentaries, reality, and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the world. It also airs shows focusing on African animal safaris, tours of grand hotels and resorts, visits to significant cities and towns around the world, programming about various foods around the world, and programming about ghosts and the paranormal in notable buildings.

See also

References
  1. "Turner takes wraps off new Boomerang website". Licensing.biz. 2010-06-23. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
  2. WarnerMedia eyes preschool originals
  3. "Hello, Cartoonito! Coming in April to Boomerang Africa!". BoomerangAfrica. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  4. "OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Discovery International Announce Exclusive OWN Programming Block in South Africa". The Futon Critic (Press release). September 20, 2013.
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