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Warner Bros. Discovery pretty much wiped the Cartoon Network website

Warner Bros. Discovery pretty much wiped the Cartoon Network website

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The site used to host full episodes of Cartoon Network shows, but now, it prompts you to sign up for Max.

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A screenshot from the Cartoon Network website showing part of the message that points to Max.
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

Warner Bros. Discovery has updated Cartoon Network’s website to remove basically everything and turn it into a page pointing to the Max streaming service. Before the change, the website let you watch free episodes of shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. The switchover appears to have happened on Thursday, Variety reports, and follows Warner Bros.’ announcement last week that it would be shutting down Boomerang, its streaming service for classic Warner Bros. cartoons.

“Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows?” reads a message that pops up on Cartoon Network’s website. “Check out what’s available to stream on Max (subscription required).”

A message that shows up on the Cartoon Network website. It reads: “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 watch Cartoon Network on your TV and connected apps as well!”
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

“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,” a Cartoon Network spokesperson said to Variety. Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would merge Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. With the change to Cartoon Network’s website, Warner Bros. Discovery is watering down the brand even more.

Warner Bros. Discovery also has a history of pulling classic Warner Bros. cartoons from Max, removing hundreds of Looney Tunes episodes and nearly 80 episodes of The Flintstones at the end of 2022. Late last year, Looney Tunes and The Looney Tunes Show appeared on a list of titles leaving the streaming service, but the company quickly said their inclusion was “in error.”