Total year ratings for the Cartoon Network are the best ever, according to an announcement by the company, with its anime-heavy Adult Swim block breaking a cable record for the daypart.  Adult Swim delivered an average audience of 450,000 18-34 year-olds, the largest ever for that period and a 27% increase over 2003.  The female audience for the Adult Swim block has been growing dramatically since the recent premieres of Full Metal Alchemist and Ghost in the Shell (see 'Female Audience Grows for Adult Swim').

 

Other slots important to pop culture retailers were also up in the full year ratings.  The Toonami block, banished to Saturday evenings because of its less desirable (for Cartoon Network) tween audience, brought in 513,000 of the 9-14 group on average. 

 

Over-all for the total day, Cartoon Network's target 6-11 age group grew 12% to an average delivery of 445,000.