I Have a FAST Car... toon Network Concept (Part 1)

As I was saying earlier, I feel that aside from the various streaming platforms they're currently on, the apps a bulk of the more recent library programming are on, and the digital storefronts you can actually buy entire seasons of episodes on (or, if you're crazy, you could buy a few of them on physical media), the best place for Cartoon Network originals is the channels of Cartoon Network. 

That would be Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Boomerang, and... that can't be right... Discovery Family Channel. Yeah, DFC is part of Cartoon Network, Inc., the umbrella unit that houses the Cartoon Network channels and streaming platforms domestically and globally. 

Radical concept, I know.

I know some folks want to see them on the upcoming OTA broadcast classic animation channel MeTV Toons, and I explained in the previous post why that's a bad idea and completely not the best use of the library. Then, I suggested that Cartoon Network should launch CN-branded FAST channels.

While the premium streaming market is in freefall and studios are scrambling to bundle everything in an attempt to slowly create the Combined Allied Broadcasters of Legacy Entertainment (CABLE for short), the FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) market is growing in popularity with cord-cutting audiences and folks tired of paying for tons of premium streaming outlets that are giving them fewer programs for more money. Legacy studios are slowly embracing FAST and AVOD (ad-supported video-on-demand) outlets like Fox Corp has Tubi, Paramount has Pluto TV, and Amazon still has Freevee. NBC Universal expanded their FAST channels outside of Peacock. Disney... well, they're planning on creating AST channels. Not FAST since they're not giving anything away for free.

Warner Bros Discovery doesn't have a stand-alone service. However, in 2023, the studio launched a few FAST channels that run across the major AVOD outlets under the WB TV banner. There's no WB TV website (for some reason, WBD didn't think know or possibly didn't care that the initials are currently used by the Gray Broadcasting-owned CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina), and, at the time of this writing (June 2024), they currently have over 40 FAST channels. Most of them are reality-focused, but they do have a few with theatrical films and scripted programs. Right now, the only animation-focused channel they have is the Freevee-exclusive Cartoon Rewind, which currently airs the following shows:

  • Silverhawks
  • Beetlejuice
  • Mister T
  • Pac-Man
  • The Pirates of Dark Water
  • Monchhichis
  • Police Academy: The Animated Series
  • Challenge of the GoBots
  • Richie Rich
And that's what they've been airing since April. No big changes. And, as you see, no big properties. Also, of note, several of these shows are slated to be on MeTV Toons at launch (Police Academy, Beetlejuice, and Mister T) and others (Richie Rich, GoBots) in the near future. 

WB TV has been very reluctant to expand the catalogs of their FAST channels, especially with more top-tier content, but the potential is definitely there. The addition of a Classic Movies channel featuring some of the best films in the WB library from the golden age of Hollywood is a HUGE leap. WBD knows the library is value, they're not complete fools.

They also know that FAST media is growing. They launched Free TV Channels with Gray Broadcasting and Lionsgate to create both linear OTA channels and accompanying FAST outlets to go with them. The360 (an urban-themed channel) and Outlaw (a western-themed channel) launched in January 2024, and a reality-based channel called DARE will launch soon. Free TV is also planning several FAST-only ventures, including an action channel and a comedy channel in the coming months.

And you already know about Warner Bros Discovery's OTHER network partnership, MeTV Toons. Weigel Broadcasting and WBD are bringing the OTA channel to FAST services in the fall. They're all in with the channel.

I feel that with these ventures, WBD is gaining more confidence in the future of FAST media. When they get ready to expand with their own AVOD/FAST hybrid service, that's when you'll see what this studio could do with their A-list libraries on an epic scale, and I still feel WB TV will expand sooner rather than later.

And Cartoon Network would be a great place to start. Literally hours of titles that are fan-favorites, perhaps too much for linear television. And since they want to go where the people are, expanding into FAST to not only attract atypical demographics but also generate ad revenue in those markets. The Cartoon Network brand itself is generational, like Nickelodeon and Disney, and older audiences are more attached to it than the company would want to admit out loud. It's time that they'd do that.

And, yes, I'm talking about the core Cartoon Network brand. Not Toonami. Not Cartoonito. And definitely not Adult Swim.

I feel Cartoon Network could have fun with FAST media and give audiences what they really want without sacrificing the linear brand to do so. 

All they need are three FAST channels.

And I'll talk about that next time. 

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