Hard not to feel the bias here for those who are hard core fans of shows like SBSP/FOP and have seen the quality drop dramatically - although I do feel like SBSP is getting back on track and not as crude/idiotic/pointless as seasons 6, 7 and 8-ish. Should it continue? I'm indifferent, but it's not as bad as before.
With that said, I have to agree that Nick has more diversity on their animation now then before. So to say Nick hasn't changed or slightly improved in that area is pretty biased. Do they utilize their new shows as much as they should? Not yet. But there's more diversity and overall quality now in SBSP-FOP-LoK-TMNT-SJC-RI-BW, then there was with SBSP-FOP-PoM-PS-FBaCC-KFP-TP-RaM. And I think Bad Seeds and Pig Goat Banana Cricket are gonna be another two break though hits for the network. And regardless of why LoK and TMNT were picked up, the point is THEY WERE PICKED UP. And Nick has invested a ton in TMNT - merchandise, clothes, toys, games, three seasons, a live action movie. I mean, we may not see it a whole lot on TV, but Nick has obviously taken care of TMNT overall.
Now, Disney has shipped off WoY and GF to Disney XD and put PaF on permanent hiatus. They only air PaF/FH during the 5 a.m. hour and that's it for their animation. Sorry, that's pretty horrible by Disney because GF was golden, PaF was still quality, WoY had potential to grow, and they let FH burn out with no push. Edge to Nick on the animation end obviously because Disney has dropped it.
For CN, they obviously have a much wider range animation shows, so diversity clearly on their side, BUT all of their new ORIGINALS like SU and UG - and to a lesser extent Clarence, are tweaked versions of RS and AT. It all appeals to one specific demo and that's boys 6-11 and 9-14, and also CN knows these shows appeal to adults (which is a point I'll get to soon). There's less diversity in CN's top five originals (AT/RS/SU/UG/Clarence) than Nick's top five (SBSP/SJC/TMNT/RI/BW) IMO, but I'd still give a slight quality edge to CN. Unfortunately, Nick will always triple CN in ratings so it's kinna moot if you think which network has the top-rated shows.
I hate to say this, but the truth behind CN is it's become less important to Turner than Adult Swim, which is one of the top-rated "networks" their company has. That's what shines with ratings and target demos. SO, with that said, all of the prime CN shows are, IMO, feeder shows for boys who will eventually transition into AS one day, and for adults who may find enjoyment in watching kids cartoons with mature/cultured dialogue and satirical humor. Which explains why CN's top cartoons are the way they are/ I may get so much flack for saying this, but it's true. AS is more important than CN and I think Turner has given up in competing head-to-head with Nick on the overall K2-11 spectrum, and rather find a distinct demo (boys 6-11/9-14) to target and then lure into AS - the money maker. That's basically all Turner talks about CN in PRs. I'm not hating on CN or calling that out, it's just how I see it and it's actually a smart move when considering AS makes more money.
Where as Nick, there's no end goal for their network aside from K2-5 and K2-11. Everything they've done recently to "improve" the network is literally to secure K2-5 and K2-11 and as Viacom's most lucrative network, they obviously want the network and its shows to succeed for the purpose of nabbing those target viewers and merchanside. I guess the live action shows could be considered transitions to MTV, but it's not as edgy or mature as they used to be, when you look at iCarly/Victorious/Zoey101 compared to SaC/THH/TTM and what Nick is moving forward. They TARGET kids. And like I said, IMO, CN TARGETS boys to bring into AS. Hence, a distinct difference in what their most promoted shows have. Nick is excelling in their demos. And CN is as well.
Anyway, just some random nonsense on a holiday that I have some time to rant.
My point, is no network is perfect. And for Nick, I think they are doing what's best for their target K2-11 and their secondary K2-5. It reflects in their overall ratings and demos. And with each network so pin point on what they want the network to be for, it completely changes the scopes of how to compare them IMO. Although I suppose I'm one of the few that sees it that way.