Various broadcasting accidents that occurred on the anime specialty channel 'Cartoon Network'

Examples of broadcasting accidents that occurred on the American-based anime channel 'Cartoon Network' and its adult-oriented broadcast time slot 'Adult Swim' are compiled on a Wiki site run by Cartoon Network fans.

Channel Errors | Cartoon Network/Adult Swim Archives Wiki | Fandom
https://cnas.fandom.com/wiki/Channel_Errors

For example, on January 26, 1997, 18 seconds into the broadcast of ' Tazmania ,' the audio was interrupted for four seconds. It was fixed, then recurred. The audio continued intermittently for a while, and a slide displaying 'Technical Difficulties' appeared. The program returned 18 seconds later. The video continued, but the audio was distorted. It then recurred after the audio recovered, and finally the audio reverted to the slide display. This suggests that the audio system was the source of the problem, and that the operator temporarily evacuated and restored the audio system.

1997 | Cartoon Network Technical Difficulties - YouTube


In the case of ' Cow & Chicken ' on March 14, 1998, the introductory video that should have already aired was used, followed by a program introduction video that faded out midway through, and the station logo was not displayed throughout the entire program. Given that the materials around the opening were mixed together from different eras, it is highly likely that the broadcast package from that day was called with the old settings, or that the reference for the set of materials was incorrect.

Cartoon Network in the US also airs Japanese anime. For example, in the June 15, 1999, broadcast of ' Dragon Ball Z, ' after the first half of the episode ended, instead of going straight to commercials, a black screen continued, with a 'technical failure' slide inserted for over a minute. After that, the regular commercial finally played, and the second half began. This was a sign that the tape feed was repeatedly pausing and playing, preventing it from moving forward. As a result, the commercials were cut off midway through, rather than starting from the beginning.


On April 15, 2003, after the opening theme of ' Hamtaro ' was played, for some reason, the main story of 'Rurouni Kenshin' was broadcast instead. The story that was broadcast was 'Act 22: First Ride! The Runaway Steam Locomotive Surprise Incident.'

At the time, Rurouni Kenshin was broadcast on a channel called 'Toonami,' which featured shows aimed at an older audience, and was clearly differentiated from the children's series Hamtaro. However, it is believed that this unusual phenomenon occurred as a result of a management error in the broadcasting system, which mistakenly designated the file. For children eagerly awaiting the new film, the sudden start of a samurai story instead of their favorite hamster became one of the most memorable broadcasting accidents in history.

In addition, since the 2010s, there have been frequent reports of bugs specific to modern systems, such as 'screen freezing' due to digital video transmission errors and 'program logos and age restrictions remaining in unnatural positions.' For example, on August 26, 2019, a screen bug occurred during a commercial break in ' The Amazing World of Gumball ' for about one and a half seconds.

Cartoon Network Screen Bug Error (8/26/19.) - YouTube


The episode of ' Steven Universe ' that aired on May 26, 2024, had a mistake where it was broadcast in a very faded color due to a mis-tuning.

In response to these broadcast accident summaries, the social news site Hacker News posted comments expressing concern for the production team, such as, ' If people are watching your work closely, documenting broadcast accidents, and caring enough to create Wiki pages, it means you're creating something truly amazing .' Others commented on the broadcast media, saying, ' As the person in charge of running a volunteer-run FM station, this is truly terrifying. Every technical issue is felt firsthand. ' Others expressed the mysterious allure of broadcast accidents, saying, 'There's a strange, indescribable feeling. Every time a broadcast accident or an incident like 'Max Headroom' happens, I'm overcome with a pleasant, yet somehow dark and eerie feeling .'