Another day, another casualty in the wake of Warner Bros. Discovery’s cost-cutting. Following the news that Warner Bros. Discovery will shut down its classic cartoon channel Boomerang on September 30, another staple of the internet is being taken down in an effort to redirect subscribers to another channel. Top Streaming service.
According to Variety, cartoonnetwork.com as we know it is no more after Warner Bros. Discovery pulled everything from the site. Visitors who land on the page will now be redirected to the Max streaming service’s website, where they will be asked to sign up so they can enjoy all the content they once loved that is now available to them on Cartoon Network. When visitors head to the site now, they will be greeted with a message on the landing page explaining why this is happening:
“Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows? Check out what's available to stream on Max (subscription required). Subscribe to Max, where you can also create a Kids profile with rating restrictions and added privacy protections to keep it fun and kid-friendly! Cable subscribers, keep enjoying your favorite CN shows on TV and connected apps, too!”
Warner Bros. Discovery tries to recoup losses
The intentions behind the move are pretty clear. WBD wants to cut costs and encourage those who aren’t already subscribed to Max. They recently made a similar decision with the cartoon streaming service Boomerang, which is shutting down at the end of September, but is suggesting that customers head over to Max, subscribe, and continue enjoying Boomerang’s content. Cartoon Network’s website previously hosted full episodes and clips of its shows, but now fans will need to subscribe to Max to enjoy them. The site has also offered other free content and games that will no longer be available to customers.
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Ultimately, it’s all just business and WBD is trying to recoup any losses. The company recently revealed in its second-quarter report that revenues fell six percent, or $9.7 billion, and that it’s also facing a staggering $10 billion net loss. This is said to be due to a $9.1 billion writedown of the company’s cable networks, which include CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim and more. In terms of streaming subscribers, domestic numbers fell by 300,000, to 52.4 million, while international numbers fared better with an increase of 3.9 million, to 50.8 million total. Ultimately, it appears that WBD is taking steps to convince customers to sign up for its services and the closure of pages like Cartoon Network’s is the latest effort in that direction.
