Another day, another casualty in the wake of Warner Bros. Discovery’s cost-cutting. Fresh off the news that WBD is shuttering classic cartoon network Boomerang on September 30, yet another staple is about to be scrubbed from the web with the intention of redirecting subscribers to the Max streaming service.
Per Variety, cartoonnetwork.com, as we know it, is no more as Warner Bros. Discovery has pulled everything from the site. Visitors who visit the page will now be redirected to the Max streaming service website, where they will be asked to sign up so they can enjoy all the content they once loved that was made available to them on the Cartoon Network website. When visitors head to the website now, they will be greeted with a message on the landing page that makes it clear as to why this is happening:
“Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows? Check out what’s available to stream on Max (subscription required). Sign up for Max, where you can also create a Kids Profile with ratings restrictions and additional privacy protections to keep it fun and kid-friendly! Cable subscribers, continue to enjoy your favorite CN programming on your TV and connected apps as well!”
Warner Bros. Discovery Is Trying to Make Up for Losses
The intentions behind this move are very clear. WBD wants to cut costs and encourage those who haven’t already to subscribe to Max. They made a similar decision just recently with the cartoon streaming service Boomerang, which will shutter by the end of September, but suggests that customers should head over to Max, subscribe, and continue to enjoy Boomerang’s content. The Cartoon Network website once housed full episodes and clips for their shows, but now fans will need to subscribe to Max in order to enjoy them. The website also offered other free content and games that will no longer be available to customers.
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At the end of the day, this is all a business and WBD is trying to make up for any losses. The company just recently revealed during its Q2 report that revenue is down six percent, or $9.7 billion, and that they are also facing a staggering net loss of $10 billion. This is said to be caused by a $9.1 billion write-down devaluation of the company’s cable networks, which include CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim and others. In terms of subscribers to their streaming services, numbers are down on the domestic front by 300,000, to 52.4 million, while international figures fared better with an increase of 3.9 million, to 50.8 million total. At the end of the day, it appears WBD is making moves to persuade customers to subscribe to its services and shuttering pages like its Cartoon Network website is the latest effort in that direction.
