Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) has shut down the Cartoon Network Website, and is trying to redirect the viewer to the streaming service Max, which has quite a bit of Cartoon Network shows. Max is also owned by the Warner Brothers. For those who don’t know what Cartoon Network is, it’s an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Cartoon Network was founded by Betty Cohen, and the channel was launched on October 1, 1992 and usually broadcasts animated television series. The network website had existed since 1998.
Most of the broadcasts was children’s shows ranging from comedy to action. During the day the channel would have a specific schedule for broadcasts, the morning program was Cartoonito which was was a British pay television channel that targets children from the ages 3 to 6, and is run by Warner Brothers. During the evening program it broadcasts Adult swim which is an American adult-oriented television, and targets young adults from the ages 18 to 34. Originally the website offered full episodes and clips from shows like The Amazing World of Gumball, Clarence, Tom & Jerry, Dexter’s Laboratory, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Looney Tunes, and many more. The website officially shut down on September 30th. The first Cartoon Network show that streamed was a show called The Max Show, and it was a late night satirical animated talk show.
The company made the announcement when they announced it that their quarterly earnings report, they were taking a $9.1 billion write down with their legacy television unit. Apparently, the reasoning was because of cost cutting initiative. Cartoon Network programming will still be available on TV and connected app, just the website won’t be available. A Cartoon Network spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly that “we are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find costumers are most engaged and there is a meaningful potential for growth.”
Some of the shows that will be included in the streaming service, Max are Teen Titans Go!, Adventure Time, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, The PowerPuff Girls, Total Drama Island, Courage The Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and many more. As of November 2023 Cartoon Network was available to approximately 66 million pay television households in the U.S. With over a 10 year run Ed, Edd, n Eddy would’ve been the longest running singular Cartoon Network original series until being surpassed by the show The Amazing World of Gumball.