Cartoon Network's Disappearing Act: Why Your Favorite Shows Have Moved to Max!

The website for Cartoon Network has vanished. As of Friday, a popup on CartoonNetwork.com's home page invites visitors to sign up for Max, the main streaming service offered by Warner Bros. Discovery. The message reads, "Check out what's available to stream on Max (subscription required)." It mentions that cable customers can keep watching through the linked apps and linear channel. When the popup window is closed, users are redirected to the Cartoon Network channel on Max, where they are once more prompted to register as a streamer.

As of the time of publication, the affected websites for WBD's cable channels appear to be limited to Cartoon Network. Websites for TNT, TBS, HGTV, Discovery, and smaller channels like Science Channel and American Heroes, as well as Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's adult sibling, were all up and running on Friday morning.

A representative for Cartoon Network stated, "We are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find consumers are the most engaged and there is meaningful potential for growth." Fans can still engage with Cartoon Network through the Cartoon Network app, TV provider apps on platforms like mobile and connected devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon, as well as social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.

Viewers can still tune in to the Cartoon Network channel to watch 11 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., of their favorite series.

Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Cartoon Network and the other cable outlets, took a $9.1 billion impairment charge in its quarterly earnings related to its networks division, which is why the Cartoon Network website is closing. A soft ad market was one of the reasons given by the company for the hit.

In June, Paramount took a similar action, demolishing the websites for TV Land, Comedy Central, and a few other of its cable channels. The changes are driven by cost-cutting in both scenarios.

Warner Bros. Discovery revealed on Wednesday that its Q2 revenue was $9.71 billion, a 6% decrease, and that it had incurred a massive net loss of nearly $10 billion, primarily due to a $9.1 billion write-down for a decline in the value of its cable TV networks. The company's streaming services, dominated by Max, saw a slight decline in domestic subscriber numbers (down roughly 300,000 to 52.4 million) but an increase in international streaming customers (up 3.9 million to 50.8 million).

Previously, the Cartoon Network website provided video snippets and entire episodes for shows like "Adventure Time," "Craig of the Creek," "The Amazing World of Gumball," "Teen Titans GO!," "Steven Universe," "We Bare Bears," and "Clarence." Additionally, the site offered free games, including titles like "Teen Titans GO!", "Adventure Time," and "Gumball."

The shutdown of cartoonnetwork.com follows WBD's announcement that the Boomerang classic "toon streamer" would be discontinued on September 30, with users and content transferring to Max. This move appears to be a cost-cutting measure to entice viewers to pay for Max, similar to actions taken by Paramount Global.