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While streaming has made it easier to binge our favorite shows and movies all in one place, it also means that titles we’ve loved for years can become inaccessible at a moment’s notice. The corporations that own Netflix, Max, Hulu, and others now have the ability to truncate their catalogs in an attempt to present a leaner library and save costs, often at the expense of series and films that consumers love.
Cartoon Network became the latest victim of this phenomenon recently as fans of the iconic brand can no longer visit the cable channel’s website, which has been a fixture of the web since the late 1990s. The URL cartoonnetwork.com now redirects to Max’s website. It leaves the future of the shows from Cartoon Network in question, especially because there is no clarity on what will remain on Max and what will be lost to faint millennial memories.
Variety says a spokesperson for Cartoon Network told them, “We are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find consumers are the most engaged and there is a meaningful potential for growth.” Leaving it up to Warner Bros. Discovery to gauge audience interest and consolidate Cartoon Network’s canon to their discretion could leave a lot of great shows on the outside looking in.
Some of the Cartoon Network series that are available right now on Max include The Amazing World of Gumball, Regular Show, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, Total Drama Island, and Teen Titans. While this remains a good selection with plenty of variety, including new and old hits alike, the move signals an ominous tone for Cartoon Network’s worth as a singular entity. Anything can be taken down at any time on Max.
Look at how the once popular drama Westworld is no longer on the streamer, a move that forces fans to buy the series on disc or watch on Amazon Prime Video for an extra charge. It would once have been unimaginable to remove an HBO product from the premium cable channel’s archives, but Warner Bros. has been increasingly cutthroat towards brand value and its ties to shows for several years now.
Max has gradually shifted its identity since it launched in 2020. Originally called HBO Max, the streamer was recognizable mainly as the place to enjoy HBO’s legendary dramas and comedies. With the rebrand into Max in 2023, this was the first step Warner Bros. took to dilute the marketing power of the HBO brand on the streamer. Fans have to scroll through a list titled “Brand Spotlight” to know everything Max has to offer. Cable channels like TLC, Food Network, HGTV, and Adult Swim are under this umbrella with Cartoon Network, but they don’t have the same singularity or branding worth they did years ago.
Warner Bros. reported it lost over $9 billion recently in the world of cable television. It’s well-known that viewers are switching over to streaming services and ignoring cable channels they used to watch daily. But this transition puts old-school viewing habits and the shows they produce at risk for audiences who are still devoted to that legacy. Companies like Warner Bros. treat their shows like chips in the center of a poker table. They are trying to shift their priorities and reorient their focus for a financial benefit, especially as they compete neck and neck with television titans such as Netflix and Disney. This is where the business side of entertainment can overshadow the magic of the storytelling onscreen.
When dealing with cartoons that people grew up watching and want to share with their own kids in adulthood, the drift away from the Cartoon Network brand in favor of the more general “Max” jeopardizes the aura and legacy of the series. Fans of the cable channel instantly associate specific qualities and even iconic lines with the cartoons that are on the network. “Stupid dog! You make me look bad!” is distinct from “I’m ready! I’m ready!” Any animation lover immediately is transported to memories of Courage the Cowardly Dog and SpongeBob SquarePants when hearing those sayings, but it’s the juxtaposition of the memories that makes them special. Cartoon Network is different from Nickelodeon, both in content and in vibes. Both of these channels elicit unique feelings and responses from audiences. As streaming forces everything into one opaque pool of accessibility, it blurs the lines between those different flavors, and the essence of each network’s stuff starts to leak out.
As more mergers happen and cable TV continues its slow demise, it’s vital to keep kids’ shows from the past, present, and future alive. The storylines, characters, and colorful worlds created by Cartoon Network are timeless, even if the conduit for immersing yourself in them is not. Hopefully, the big bosses upstairs understand this before scrubbing someone’s favorite cartoon from Max on a random Tuesday in January.
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