James R | On 01, Jan 2015

Amazon is already enjoying a happy New Year with a new deal for Adventure Time and several other Cartoon Network TV series.

Adventure Time has long been a staple of the Netflix line-up, both in America and the UK. Now, Season 1 of the surreal animation is available to stream to Amazon Prime members too, along with Season 1 of Ben 10 and more.

Cartoon Network first made its content available on Netflix US in March 2013 – a decision that proved a big deal for both fans and the company’s figures.

According to Nielsen data, the channel’s kids 2-11 deliveries between 1st April 2013 and 25th August 2013 fell 25 per cent compared to the same period a year before, a sign of just how many viewers were choosing to stream on-demand rather than tune in to the channel normally. Bernstein senior analyst Todd Juenger told Adweek that the network’s linear TV deliveries had dropped 10 per cent in all Netflix households.

But while that may suggest that Cartoon Network were losing out thanks to its decision to embrace subscription VOD services, Juenger argued that the channel only accounts for a small portion of owner Time Warner’s overall revenues, so any potential loss was minimal.

“Their deal-making calculus is a function of, ‘How much licensing revenue will we generate, versus how much audience (and therefore ad dollars) will we lose?’” Juenger said. “For Cartoon Network, it’s a close call, [as it] looks to us like they are probably making a few million dollars (net). So it could be argued that the decision to license content to Netflix was, on balance, financially positive.”

Since then, Cartoon Network added shows to Netflix UK in December 2013, confirming that the Netflix effect was positive for the broadcaster. Adventure Time Season 1 was added – broken up into Volumes 1 and 2 (mislabelled as “seasons”) – alongside The Powerpuff Girls (the first three seasons), Courage the Cowardly Dog (the first two). Regular Show (two seasons) and Samurai Jack.

“The relatable humour found in these shows are great for ‘kids’ of all ages,” said Kelly Merryman, Vice President of Content Acquisition at Netflix, at the time. “We are very happy to provide a subscription streaming home for these popular animated series.”

Now, Cartoon Network has expanded its subscription contracts to include Amazon – a move that will only heat up the rivalry between the two services, who are racing to appeal to the most children through both exclusive rights and (increasingly) original content. Indeed, DreamWorks Animations will soon have 16 original shows streaming through Netflix, while Amazon has just launched its third original kids series, following deals to secure rights for older shows such as Thundercats.

In fact, Amazon is now the exclusive subscription streaming home of Cartoon Network’s 20-episode first season of Ben 10: Omniverse. As part of the deal Prime Instant Video will also be the exclusive subscription streaming home of Camp Lazlo, Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and SYM-BIONIC TITAN.

“We’re delighted to start 2015 by adding to our variety of premium kids content for our members” said Chris Bird, Director of Content Strategy at Amazon Instant Video UK.

“These deals allow us to give our members even more choice, complemented by unlimited streaming of some of the biggest and best shows aimed at a younger audience.”

At the same time, Netflix’s agreement with Cartoon Network has seen its own selection of animated shows change too, with older seasons of shows replaced by newer, more recent episodes. For children, the VOD services will be hoping that the exact line-up will not make a difference; kids are often just as happy watching repeats of familiar episodes as they are discovering new ones.

There are many Cartoon Network series that are only available to stream in the US on Netflix, although Amazon’s own deals with Warner Bros. means that it also has additional programmes broadcast on Cartoon Network, such as Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Batman: Brave and the Bold. Seasons 1 to 4 of Boondocks are also available on Amazon Prime through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

So, which Cartoon Network series are on Amazon Prime and Netflix UK?

To help you choose between the two – or even decide to get both – here’s a rundown of the shows available to stream at the time of writing:

Cartoon Network TV series on Netflix UK

Johnny Bravo Season 3
Johnny Bravo Season 4
Adventure Time Season 2
Adventure Time Season 3
Adventure Time Season 4
The Powerpuff Girls Season 2
The Powerpuff Girls Season 3
LazyTown Season 2
Courage the Cowardly Dog Season 2
Courage the Cowardly Dog Season 3
Regular Show Season 2
Regular Show Season 3
Regular Show Season 4
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends Season 2
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends Season 3
Samurai Jack Season 2
Samurai Jack Season 3
Dexter’s Laboratory Season 3
Dexter’s Laboratory Season 4
Ben 10 / Generator Rex: Heroes United (Part 1 and 2)
Ben 10: Race Against Time
Ben 10: Alien Swarm
Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix
Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens

Cartoon Network TV series on Amazon Prime Instant Video (UK)

Adventure Time Season 1
Ben 10 Season 1
Ben 10: Omniverse Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
Chowder SEason 1
Regular Show Season 1
Regular Show Season 2
Samurai Jack Season 1
Samurai Jack Season 2

Programmes shown on Cartoon Network

Justice League Season 1
Justice League Season 2
Justice League Unlimited Season 1
Justice League Unlimited Season 2
Batman – Brave and the Bold Season 1
Batman – Brave and the Bold Season 2
Batman – Brave and the Bold Season 3
Batman Beyond – Return of the Joker
Boondocks Season 1
Boondocks Season 2
Boondocks Season 3
Boondocks Season 4

A Netflix UK subscription costs £6.99 a month – for more information, click here. An Amazon Prime Instant Video subscription costs £5.99 a month – or, if you also want free next day UK delivery, you can sign up to an annual £79 Amazon Prime membership, with a 30-day free trial available. For more information, click here.

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