Toonami (UK & Ireland)

Toonami
Launched	28 September 2003
Closed	24 May 2007
Owned by	Turner Broadcasting System Europe (Time Warner)
Audience share	0.1% (January 2007, BARB)
Replaced	CNX
Replaced by	Cartoonito
Sister channel(s)	Cartoon Network Boomerang Cartoon Network Too
Website	www.toonami.co.uk
Availability (at time of closure)
Satellite
Sky Digital	Channel 602
Cable
Virgin Media	Channel 732

Toonami was a British children's channel which aired from September 2003 to May 2007.

Toonami was a programming block on Cartoon Network, until October 2002 when it became a key component of CNX, a new channel launched by Cartoon Network UK, the first Cartoon Network derivative to launch outside North America. CNX also broadcast martial arts movies, adult-oriented animation like the Adult Swim originals, and dramas like The Shield and Birds of Prey at night. The network's audience was the young adult male demos that's currently catered by the UK's Bravo and the US's Spike TV. Almost a year later, CNX was relaunched as Toonami and now targeted towards a much younger audience. However, TOM was not voiced by Steven Blum, instead given a new voice actor who sounded nothing like the original TOM.

In 2005, Toonami was added to the TV and video on demand kids' package for VNL's HomeChoice (now TalkTalk TV). Broadcasting for the channel involved using advanced MPEG-4 compression technology, the first TV channel in the world to do so.

On 6 March 2006, Toonami changed its focus from action cartoons to entertainment in general, as the channel moved to Sky 602 and began airing four live-action shows: Backyard Science, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Stencil, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and Life with Derek. Additionally, the entire design of the channel was overhauled, with the stark, simplistic black, white and red logos replaced with blue, as well as the introduction of giggling, blob-like mascots that populate the commercial bumpers and channel indents.

TBSE revealed Toonami and Cartoon Network Too would combine and left a space for the pre-school programming slot Cartoonito to be expanded into its own channel. This change happened on 26 May 2007.