MeTV TOONS: A Few Pre-Launch Thoughts

 

On June 25, 2024, Weigel Broadcasting and Warner Bros Discovery are launching MeTV TOONS, an over-the-air broadcast network devoted to classic animation featuring the best of the best. 

You'll have the usual suspects from the Warrner Bros library including Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Top Cat, The Jetsons, The Smurfs, Jonny Quest, and Wacky Races.  You'll also find some shows that rarely get the airplay or shine from the studio like Silverhawks, Police Academy, Challenge of the Go-Bots, The Mask, and Beetlejuice and surprising shows like Freakazoid. In addition, you'll have some popular shows from other studios like Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Underdog, Speed Racer, Thunderbirds, and The Real Ghostbusters. With a lot of support from historians like Jerry Beck and talent like Bob Bergen, MeTV TOONS is a dream come true for older classic animation fans who felt abandoned by kid-skewing cable brands and algorithmic practices from streaming outlets.

When it comes to this channel, a lot of cartoon fans have lost their fricking minds. The fact that MeTV TOONS is going to be available as an over-the-air broadcast network nationally is already unprecedented on this level. Yes, I'm more than aware of Luken's ill-fated PBJ Channel, a joint venture with Dreamworks Classics, but that was a kids' network and had a very limited lineup, wasn't on many affiliates, and shared shows with a "men's channel" called TUFF TV in the later hours and infomercials overnight. Plus, Luken is notoriously cheap when it comes to programming their channels (most of their lineups are comprised of public domain shows and movies) and felt the channel wasn't worth the investment and time anymore.

MeTV TOONS isn't that. According to legendary animation historian and producer Jerry Beck (who's also a contributor to the channel), MeTV TOONS isn't Boomerang, the cable network many are comparing it to and fearing it will cause the death of. It's "1992-era Cartoon Network on steroids. Times 100. For free. Everywhere." That's a hell of a compliment and something worth supporting and checking out.

MeTV TOONS is also not a children's network. I have to put that in bold because it has to be said. This isn't a channel aimed towards kids. The core demographic of the channel are viewers 25 to 54, though everybody will enjoy what MeTV TOONS will have to offer. Even kids. It's a general entertainment network not unlike every diginet out there. It's essentially like Antenna TV, COZI, GET TV, H&I, Catchy Comedy, and, of course, MeTV, all channels with classic television shows of the past and should be viewed as such. The only difference between MeTV TOONS and the other ones is that the lineup is 100% animation. That confuses a lot of modern animation fans for some reason, and that brings me to my second point about MeTV TOONS.

When it comes to MeTV TOONS, a lot of cartoon fans have lost their fricking minds.  Why is it when it comes to animation-related things, logic gets thrown out of the window with some folks? Look, I get it. Warner Bros Discovery hasn't been the greatest of places when it comes to recent shows and the creative community, especially in regard to what's on MAX. That said, the company has been a phenomenal distributor of their older titles to third parties in recent years. WBD has syndicated many of their library titles to streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and most notably Tubi, which has a dedicated section devoted to Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. MeTV has brought many of WB's most iconic shows to the network and continues to work with WBD on their very popular Toon In with Me daily block and weekly Saturday Morning Cartoons block, so to see the two units working together to create a new broadcast network aimed toward adult audiences featuring a healthy bulk of their library is to be applauded. 

MeTV Toons is just the latest diginet joint venture Warner Bros Discovery has been a part of in 2024. WBD has been working with various partners to develop and launch new over-the-air diginets in 2024. Free TV Networks is a venture WBD formed with Lionsgate and Gray Television and recently launched The365 (a Black-oriented channel) and OUTLAW (a western-themed channel) and will soon launch DARE (a reality-themed channel). FTN will also launch AVOD/FAST channels with pop culture and comedic themes in the summer. This is exactly what WAM TV Limited Partnership, the name of the Weigel/WBD joint venture in charge of MeTV TOONS, are planning to do with their channel. 

And yet, some folks fear that MeTV TOONS is doomed because of WBD's participation in the venture, which just seems irrational and not based in reality. WBD is going all-in on diginets and working with people who know how to create and distribute them, which is why you're seeing them be part of joint ventures as opposed to doing it on their own, and WBD trusts Weigel with MeTV TOONS. 

If they didn't, the channel wouldn't be named after Weigel's biggest brand. Weigel is a rebellious company that has taken a lot of chances and created great networks. They've also built great relationships with various studios and distributors. Plus, the company has fully embraced animation, which is firmly part of MeTV's DNA now. Weigel understands the power of animation and treats the medium with reverence and respect. You can tell they value animation as the artform that continues to entertain generations of viewers. If there's any company that I would trust to launch a classic animation channel for older audiences, it would definitely be Weigel. I'm glad WBD felt the same way.

With all of that said, there is a lot to look forward to when it comes to MeTV TOONS. There's a lot that we still don't know about the channel, especially when more affiliate groups sign onto the channel and how the streaming strategy will be. All I know is this. 

MeTV TOONS is going to be stacked and definitely worth checking out.