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Hey, remember last month when I talked about the rumored split of Warner Bros Discovery and how I'd think it would go down even though I had doubts it would happen? Well, it's no longer a rumor. It's happening , and yeah, it's not going down like I hoped it would. You remember when you were a child, you were told to not touch a hot stove because it would burn you and hurt you? Hopefully, you weren't one of those kids who decided to touch it anyway. If you did, I hope you learned your lesson and never did it again.  Unless you're a weirdo who loved the pain and the scent of burning flesh. The C-suite of the soon-to-be-divided Warner Bros Discovery are apparently these kinds of weirdos. So... what's the breakdown? Warner Bros is cutting off Discovery. And the Turner channels, including CNN. And Bleacher Report.   They're keeping TNT Sports globally but getting rid of it domestically. As I said, sports is big business around the world, so the Streaming/St...

After the company re-rebranded its premium streaming service to HBO Max , which nearly everybody under the sun never stopped referring to it, you have to ask yourself one question: What's really going on at Warner Bros Discovery? WBD seems to be embracing the scripted and sports sides of the company more these days, and you can tell that the Discovery brands are feeling more like an afterthought. Oh, don't look at me like that, cartoon fan.  Consider the following: There's a refocused emphasis on scripted programming at Warner Bros Television . Not that WBTV had any problems when it comes to scripted programming, the studio continues to have hits across many platforms, including Netflix, Apple TV+, and at least one series on every major US broadcast network. Ever since Discovery acolyte Katherine Finch resigned at the end of 2024, Channing Dungey, the head of Warner Bros Television, took the helm of the US Networks group, which seems to begin bearing fruit for the scripted ...

A couple of weeks ago, I began writing an article after reading  a recent interview   Puck 's Matthew Belloni had with HBO's Casey Bloys about the current direction of the MAX streaming platform . And I put it off because something was off in the air. About a week later, I started to rewrite that article after reading  a feature story from Bloomberg Businessweek 's Felix Gillette about the current woes of the Cartoon Network brand . Both articles had a lot to be desired to say the least. People like to paint Casey Bloys as some kind of wunderkind at HBO, and yes, his reputation at the network over the past two decades speaks volumes for how the HBO brand has evolved and changed. But in Belloni's interview, Bloys came off like an aloof numb who just seemed to be parroting what his superiors tell him to. Belloni suggested to Bloys that Netflix should sub-brand their content the way HBO and others within the WBD serfdom do, but Bloys just blew it over. I should note that ...

 

Want to play a little game?  Back in the day when I was working full-time on TXB, I created a series of articles called "Imagine If." Essentially, reimagined scenarios of media companies doing things they likely could have done in the past but decided against it.  Saban buying Funimation. Warner Communications keeping Nickelodeon. Ted Turner actually buying CBS. The USA Cartoon Express lasting beyond 1998.  Things like that.  This is no different.  I was given a challenge by reader and fellow AU scenario writer Chandler Ritter-Roberts over at Bluesky . The challenge?   Building a media company that could become a massive modern media conglomerate.  #BuildYourAltConglomerate, as his hashtag goes.  I could create a company as big as I want to counter what two of the biggest media companies, Warner Bros Discovery and The Walt Disney Company, could do and create a realistic media empire.  The one caveat in this game? While every media compan...

 "Never think you've seen the last of anything." - Eudora Welty Watch this space for further details. Don't be expecting anything too soon.  It's gonna take a while. I promise it's not going to take another decade. 

"It all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it's turned out to be quite a great spirit of adventure." - The Doctor, "The Sensorites" “Every great decision creates ripples, like a huge boulder dropped in a lake. The ripples merge and rebound off the banks in unforeseeable ways. The heavier the decision, the larger the waves, the more uncertain the consequences.” - The Doctor, "Remembrance of the Daleks" "We’re capable of the most incredible change. We can evolve while still staying true to who we are. We can honour who we’ve been and choose who we want to be next. Now’s your chance.” - The Doctor, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" “ We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? ” - The Doctor, "The Big Bang"  DISCLAIMER: The following is the ninth and final part of an alternate history series about the history of  Doctor Who  if it was an American-made production rather than a British production. ...

PREVIOUSLY :  After Doctor Who completed its broadcast run, the series was in a state of limbo. Revived as a film trilogy, Doctor Who entered the 21st century with refreshed interests from old and new fans alike, and, under the direction of a trio of partners, Doctor Who finally returns to television for a new (re)generation. DISCLAIMER: The following is Part Eight of a nine-part alternate history series about the history of  Doctor Who  if it was an American-made production rather than a British production. It's purely speculative and a work of fiction, although some real-world elements were included and presented for realistic situations and scenarios. Neither this series nor its author are connected to nor reflect the views and opinions of BBC Studios (the owner of the  Doctor Who  franchise) or any entity or persons mentioned and does not mean to infringe on the copyrights and trademarks of those parties. - JH “There are fixed points throughout time where...

There is a very, very stupid rumor out there right now about how Discovery, the second most poorly run entertainment company on the planet (Paramount Global is far, far, far worse, but you'd never know that if you only paid attention to the animation side of social media or only read entertainment rags), is thinking of selling off the entire Looney Tunes brand. I still believe it's a stupid rumor created by someone looking for (and getting) a lot of clicks from an already paranoid fanbase who has seen Discovery take the 300+ Looney Tunes shorts (not even the entire 1000 golden age theatrical shorts was on the site) off of the service that has no problem clogging the once-premium streaming platform with 249 seasons of House Hunters with over 1900 half-hour episodes  (seriously, check that link, there are 249 seasons of that show and counting),  26 seasons and nearly 350 episodes of Curb Appeal , 51 seasons and nearly 550 episodes of Diners , Drive-Ins, and Dives , or every se...