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[via press release]

Cartoon Network’s Popular Original Series Ben 10 Captures Third Season

High-Rated Animated Action Series Captures Additional 13 Episodes

Responding to the successful ratings of Ben 10, Cartoon Network has greenlit a third season of the animated action series, which is being created at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, Calif.  The adventure series is about a 10-year-old boy who discovers an alien device that gives him the ability to transform into one of 10 super alien heroes.  Ben 10 launched in January and ranked #1 in its time period on basic cable for delivery with boys 6-11 and 9-14.  Maintaining its strong performance, Ben 10 has shown ratings growth week-to-week since its premiere with target demos among kids and boys.

“We are thrilled with the creative direction of Ben 10 and couldn’t be more pleased with the audience response to this action series,” said Jim Samples, executive vice president and general manager of Cartoon Network.  “Ben 10 has it all… a great premise, interesting characters, successful ratings, and now a third season.”

In addition to its original episodes airing at 10 a.m. (ET, PT) as part of Cartoon Network’s Saturday morning line-up Ben 10 will be stripped weekdays beginning in May 2006.

Along with its on-air success, Cartoon Network Enterprises has partnered with Bandai America Incorporated to create the Ben 10 master toy line that will include alien action figures, alien space vehicles, and a deluxe playset that is an exact replica of the RV in which Ben, his grandfather and his cousin Gwen travel.  Bandai America is a global leader in the boys’ action figure category and is the toy licensee for some of the most popular children’s entertainment properties on the market today.

Ben 10 follows the exciting adventures of 10-year-old Ben Tennyson, who discovers a strange alien device resembling a wristwatch called the Omnitrix inside a crashed meteorite.  Once  “the watch” permanently locks itself on his wrist, Ben discovers that he can transform into 10 different fantastic alien beings, each with unique powers and abilities—but only for 10 minutes at a time and all the while retaining his 10-year-old mind and personality.  As Ben learns to control these new powers, he decides to use them to right wrongs and fight evil.  Once in a while, however, he can’t resist being a kid and using his new abilities to satisfy his curiosity, or sneak into a movie without an adult—which sometimes gets him into some major kid-style trouble.  Fortunately his grandfather Max and cousin Gwen are there to keep him in check and bail him out of trouble when he needs it.

Ben 10 was created by Man of Action (Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau, Steve Seagle), and is executive-produced by Sam Register (Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi) with Alex Soto (Teen Titans) serving as supervising director.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 88 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service offering the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families.  Overnight from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.