Is WarnerDiscovery going to kill Cartoon Network?

[TsWade2]

Ok this is a very long post as I have a lot of experience in reading and studying business for the past few years. As we can see the reason why Zaslav has canceled some projects is due to the fact that WB had acquired a lot of debt due to previous ownership from AT&T. As a result of that Zaslav is gonna have to cut some fat when it comes to new projects and content. If you've read previous articles, what he wants to do with WB is for it to be the, "antinetflix" in the sense where they are gonna create shows that can give them a good return of investment. This leads to them prioritizing cable television, DVDs, and other forms of old media that are still existing today. He also said that some projects created by Warner Bros will still go ahead but be distributed on other platforms like Hulu, Vudu, iTunes just to name a few. So It'd just be similar to how the Animaniacs show is at the moment.

As we've seen with a lot of streaming services there is a lot of quantity instead of quality. There are WAY too many shows for viewers to watch and that can lead to series being pulled from a service or being canceled. Netflix has seen this a lot this year. Even some of the Pokémon content that they used to have has been removed in the past few months. And so Zaslav wants to make sure that the company isn't paying too much to create. This unfortunately has lead to some animated shows being pulled from the service but this is probably due to low viewership and in the end consumers have to WATCH these shows if they want them to stay on the service. Not only that but economists are predicting that we will have a rescission again and we don't really know how this will affect the tv industry in the short term and so not spending too much money isn't a bad idea

Going back to the debt crisis that WB has. This is not the first time a company has gone through this and this is certainly not the last time. I've followed the gaming industry for the longest time and there have been similar situations like this in the past. In the mid 2000s a lot of Japanese gaming companies merged due to them acquiring a lot of debt. Ex: Sega and Sammy, and then Konami and Hudson. Obviously there were games that had to be canceled but over time both companies were able to get their act together. Heck even now it seems like Mao Mao, Infinity Train, etc are starting to appear again on iTunes from what I’ve seen.

Now onto my last point. I believe Zaslav is the necessary evil that CN and Warner Bros Animation might need. All of us have to be honest in the sense that CN has struggled to stay relevant after Stu Snyder left the company. Ever since he left we’ve lost some anime, Action shows, diverse schedules, new shows, and many other things just to name a few. CN needs someone that can make them RELEVANT again and the things they’ve been trying out for the past eight years have just not been working. And I’m open to having someone new and trying something. For example, just look at Nintendo. Nintendo was struggling to stay relevant in the console home market between the midpoint of the 2010s. The company started to really change once Iwata passed away (rest in peace). Since then Nintendo has been a bit more “ruthless” in their business practices. With hiring Kimishima (a former employee in the bank industry) and currently Furukawa as well. That level of ruthlessness has brought them so much success with the Switch and Nintendo is all of a sudden relevant again. The same thing COULD be said about CN. Yeah some people might be upset in the short term. However, in the long term this could work. I just want CN to be the home of diverse animated projects, movies, acquired content and etc.

Please no hate this is how I've been thinking about the current situation with CN these past few days. Please let me know what you guys think

No hate here. This is very good point. I'm still mad at Zaslav for now, but what you said is a very good point. And I doubt that Cartoon Network will be gone. This maybe unlikely, but I hope and prayed that Zaslav has a change of heart to bring back Cartooon Network shows and maybe bring back WB animated movies that are in the works to HBO Max, even though I didn't subscribe it.

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

I think that Warner Bros. Discovery needs to re-hire Tom Ascheim. At least he had a vision for Cartoon Network and things seemed to be looking pretty good for CN before the WB/Discovery merger happened.

Cartoon Network will undoubtedly survive this. WB owns too many profitable IPs to simply go under, but CN needs someone at the helm who has an actual game plan in mind for the channel. The next year or so may be a rocky road for CN, but the channel will live on. CN survived the Stuart Snyder era; it can survive this.

I feel like Michael Oweleen is a good choice very good choice At the moment. That's just my view on things

 

[Goldstar!]

No hate here. This is very good point. I'm still mad at Zaslav for now, but what you said very good point. And I doubt that Cartoon Network will be gone. This maybe unlikely, but I hope and prayed that Zaslav has a change of heart to bring back Cartooon Network shows and maybe bring back WB animated movies that are in the works to HBO Max, even though I didn't subscribe it.

Zaslav isn't thinking with his heart; He's looking at the numbers. He's trying to get Warner Bros. out of debt by cutting as many costs as possible. Emotions don't figure into Zaslav's decision making at all. If Zaslav thinks that bringing back the Cartoon Network shows that he removed from HBO Max back to the service will benefit the studio financially, then he'll do it. If Zaslav wants to run HBO Max originals onto cable channels, then he should air Close Enough on TBS where it was originally planned to air.

 

[BlooMac]

You're forgetting Michael Ouweleen is a Cartoon Network veteran who has been at the network for 26 years and probably knows how to run it better than an exec from the outside. CN/Adult Swim are basically in a frozen state right now, due to Discovery halting everything, so it's not them to blame for the stale condition the channel currently is in.

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

Zaslav isn't thinking with his heart; He's looking at the numbers. He's trying to get Warner Bros. out of debt by cutting as many costs as possible. Emotions don't figure into Zaslav's decision making at all. If Zaslav thinks that bringing back the Cartoon Network shows that he removed from HBO Max back to the service will benefit the studio financially, then he'll do it. If Zaslav wants to run HBO Max originals onto cable channels, then he should air Close Enough on TBS where it was originally planned to air.

From what I heard they are planning to air HBO Max shows on TBS, TNT, and then TruTv

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

Another thing I want to point out is that Cable TV is still BIG outside the United States. Even in Canada, Teletoon still has very good schedules, marketing, and overall branding when it comes to their presentation as a TV channel. Getting rid of a channel that has grown a lot globally within the past decade (that's the only thing I'll give Cristina Miller credit for at least) does not make any sense in my view. Just look at how CN is in Asia and Latin America it is SO much better when compared to the CN that we have here in the United States. There will be changes like I said but I'm just hoping it's in the short term.

 

[TsWade2]

Zaslav isn't thinking with his heart; He's looking at the numbers. He's trying to get Warner Bros. out of debt by cutting as many costs as possible. Emotions don't figure into Zaslav's decision making at all. If Zaslav thinks that bringing back the Cartoon Network shows that he removed from HBO Max back to the service will benefit the studio financially, then he'll do it. If Zaslav wants to run HBO Max originals onto cable channels, then he should air Close Enough on TBS where it was originally planned to air.

I was afraid you’re going to say that. I guess business people are greedy people. Sure, it’s their job, but still, they’re greedy people. Oh dear! I’m starting to feel my old self again. Eeks!

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

I was afraid you’re going to say that. I guess business people are greedy people. Sure, it’s their job, but still, they’re greedy people. Oh dear! I’m starting to feel my old self again. Eeks!

I can see where you're coming from but not all business people are greedy lol

 

[Goldstar!]

Another thing I want to point out is that Cable TV is still BIG outside the United States. Even in Canada Teletoon still has very good schedules, marketing, and overall branding when it comes to their presentation as a TV channel. Getting rid of a channel that has grown a lot globally within the past decade (that's the only thing I'll give Cristina Miller credit for at least) does not make any sense in my view. Just look at how CN is in Asia and Latin America it is SO much better when compared to the CN that we have here in the United States. There will be changes like I said but I'm just hoping it's in the short term.

No one at Warner Discovery is planning to terminate Cartoon Network. That was just a fear that the OP had after Zaslav begin removing animated shows from HBO Max in order to cut costs.

 

[Silverstar]

While I don't doubt that he's got dollar signs in his eyes (most big business types do; you have to be a little greedy to succeed in business), Zaslav is trying to get Warner Bros. back into the black. He's a reality show guy, and those shows are inexpensive to produce. Imagine you were told that you inherited a house from a deceased relative, and then when you get to the house you see it's a run-down hovel with cracked paint on the walls, creaky floors, squeaky doors, broken windows, rusty pipes, moldy bathrooms and a really nasty rat problem, the repairs of which culminate into the hundred thousands. That's basically the dilemma Zaslav is in.

HBO Max is a streaming service and currently all streaming services are relatively new and are going though ups and downs like a roller coaster; cable, while also kind of a mess currently, is a more stable industry, has existed longer and is more established.

Again, I'm not defending the HBO Max purge (or the Animation Decimation, as YouTuber Dave Lee calls it) but I can at least see why he did it. Recently it seems that he (or his advisors and PR people) must've told him what a bad look this was and they now seem to be trying to cover their rears by slowly bringing some of the music from those purged shows back online, trying to assure WB animators that they can trust them and their jobs will be secure and now promising that maybe these shows can come back when things become more prosperous. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Like @Goldstar! mentioned, WBD's freshman year is going to be rough, and right now both CN and [as] are in a holding pattern waiting to see what these new higher-ups are going to do, but I don't think Cartoon Network is going to expire. The channel has survived regime changes before, and Zaslav is banking on cable channels being his ticket out of the red.

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

While I don't doubt that he's got dollar signs in his eyes (most big business types do; you have to be a little greedy to succeed in business), Zaslav is trying to get Warner Bros. back into the black. He's a reality show guy, and those shows are inexpensive to produce. Imagine you were told that you inherited a house from a deceased relative, and then when you get to the house you see it's a run-down hovel with cracked paint on the walls, creaky floors, squeaky doors, broken windows, rusty pipes, moldy bathrooms and a really nasty rat problem, the repairs of which culminate into the hundred thousands. That's basically the dilemma Zaslav is in.

HBO Max is a streaming service and currently all streaming services are relatively new and are going though ups and downs like a roller coaster; cable, while also kind of a mess currently, is a more stable industry, has existed longer and is more established.

Again, I'm not defending the HBO Max purge (or the Animation Decimation, as YouTuber Dave Lee calls it) but I can at least see why he did it. Recently it seems that he (or his advisors and PR people) must've told him what a bad look this was and they now seem to be trying to cover their rears by slowly bringing some of the music from those purged shows back online, trying to assure WB animators that they can trust them and their jobs will be secure and now promising that maybe these shows can come back when things become more prosperous. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Like @Goldstar! mentioned, WBD's freshman year is going to be rough, and right now both CN and [as] are in a holding pattern waiting to see what these new higher-ups are going to do, but I don't think Cartoon Network is going to expire. The channel has survived regime changes before, and Zaslav is banking on cable channels being his ticket out of the red.

Yep! Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[JMTV]

While I don't doubt that he's got dollar signs in his eyes (most big business types do; you have to be a little greedy to succeed in business), Zaslav is trying to get Warner Bros. back into the black. He's a reality show guy, and those shows are inexpensive to produce. Imagine you were told that you inherited a house from a deceased relative, and then when you get to the house you see it's a run-down hovel with cracked paint on the walls, creaky floors, squeaky doors, broken windows, rusty pipes, moldy bathrooms and a really nasty rat problem, the repairs of which culminate into the hundred thousands. That's basically the dilemma Zaslav is in.

HBO Max is a streaming service and currently all streaming services are relatively new and are going though ups and downs like a roller coaster; cable, while also kind of a mess currently, is a more stable industry, has existed longer and is more established.

Again, I'm not defending the HBO Max purge (or the Animation Decimation, as YouTuber Dave Lee calls it) but I can at least see why he did it. Recently it seems that he (or his advisors and PR people) must've told him what a bad look this was and they now seem to be trying to cover their rears by slowly bringing some of the music from those purged shows back online, trying to assure WB animators that they can trust them and their jobs will be secure and now promising that maybe these shows can come back when things become more prosperous. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Like @Goldstar! mentioned, WBD's freshman year is going to be rough, and right now both CN and [as] are in a holding pattern waiting to see what these new higher-ups are going to do, but I don't think Cartoon Network is going to expire. The channel has survived regime changes before, and Zaslav is banking on cable channels being his ticket out of the red.

True that, my dude.

Even though I don't support the company and Zaslav's decision makings, but even I thought the notion of "Zaslav killing Cartoon Network" that most people rumored and fearing was just absolutely asinine that even Bugs Bunny himself thought it was laughable, and even he has standards.

I'm not going to defend the HBO Max purge (and never will), but the more I think about it, I felt people only look at one part of a much larger problem with HBO Max in general, and at least I can see why Zaslav is trying to fix the issue. Doesn't mean I'm supporting Zaslav's reality crap though.

 

[The Overlord]

Zaslav isn't thinking with his heart; He's looking at the numbers. He's trying to get Warner Bros. out of debt by cutting as many costs as possible. Emotions don't figure into Zaslav's decision making at all. If Zaslav thinks that bringing back the Cartoon Network shows that he removed from HBO Max back to the service will benefit the studio financially, then he'll do it. If Zaslav wants to run HBO Max originals onto cable channels, then he should air Close Enough on TBS where it was originally planned to air.

TBS is getting rid of all scripted content, they canceled Samatha Bee's show after 7 seasons. TBS ain't airing anything that is scripted, including Close Enough.

 

[TsWade2]

I can see where you're coming from but not all business people are greedy lol

I kind of had this habit fir awhile calling business executives greedy, probably because when Disney stopped doing hand drawn animation after Winnie the Pooh. Thankfully though, they did bring back hand drawn animation.

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

True that, my dude.

Even though I don't support the company and Zaslav's decision makings, but even I thought the notion of "Zaslav killing Cartoon Network" that most people rumored and fearing was just absolutely asinine that even Bugs Bunny himself thought it was laughable, and even he has standards.

I'm not going to defend the HBO Max purge (and never will), but the more I think about it, I felt people only look at one part of a much larger problem with HBO Max in general, and at least I can see why Zaslav is trying to fix the issue. Doesn't mean I'm supporting Zaslav's reality crap though.

Thank you! A lot of people online and on youtube only jumped to conclusions to get likes and views on their social media pages.

 

[JMTV]

Thank you! A lot of people online and on youtube only jumped to conclusions to get likes and views on their social media pages.

Your welcome and yeah I always hated when people do that. It's very disingenuous.

 

[Fone Bone]

Zaslav isn't thinking with his heart; He's looking at the numbers.

Don't agree at all. That would be rational. His actions have cost the studio over 2 billion dollars in under two weeks. Tax-writer-offs of the movies and TV shows he's erasing will save him small potatoes compared to what the studio is losing.

No, this isn't about money. It's ideological. Especially when you consider most the of the stuff he's disappearing was diverse and inclusive. He's trying to push an agenda. And it stinks to me.

 

[Goldstar!]

TBS is getting rid of all scripted content, they canceled Samatha Bee's show after 7 seasons. TBS ain't airing anything that is scripted, including Close Enough.

That's true, hence why I said that WBD should air Close Enough on TBS. The thing of it is that the purging of scripted comedies on TBS started before Zaslav took over (The Last OG was canceled, and Search Party was moved from TBS to HBO Max exclusively), so we can't put the blame solely on him for that. TBS' neighbor Comedy Central removed all of its scripted shows about year earlier thanks to the channel's current producer who thinks that CC should focus primarily on stand-up specials and viral videos.

Don't agree at all. That would be rational. His actions have cost the studio over 2 billion dollars in under two weeks. Tax-writer-offs of the movies and TV shows he's erasing will save him small potatoes compared to what the studio is losing.

No, this isn't about money. It's ideological. Especially when you consider most the of the stuff he's disappearing was diverse and inclusive. He's trying to push an agenda. And it stinks to me.

I am aware of that and speaking as an African American, I'm not happy about it either, but I don't know how to address that particular point without discussing politics, which isn't allowed here.

 

[Silverstar]

Don't agree at all. That would be rational. His actions have cost the studio over 2 billion dollars in under two weeks. Tax-writer-offs of the movies and TV shows he's erasing will save him small potatoes compared to what the studio is losing.

No, this isn't about money. It's ideological. Especially when you consider most the of the stuff he's disappearing was diverse and inclusive. He's trying to push an agenda. And it stinks to me.

Well, that's already blowing up in his and Warner's collective faces. He's lost the trust of many Hollywood animators and creators and the PR department is now having to convince these folks that they can still trust them and the higher-ups aren't out for blood, not to mention them having to point to HBO's remaining diverse content as proof that there's nothing sinister going on.

Again, I'm not defending Zaslav's recent actions; they were rash and burned bridges across Hollywood and the industry. The fact that WBD is now trying to save face over this seems to indicate that either he or someone on the inside knows that if that was truly what Zaslav is (or was) attempting to do, then culturally that's a war he can't win. Discovery's content largely appeals to Middle America, while HBO Max's content (and [adult swim]'s too for that matter) skews more toward a younger more diverse crowd, which by and large has more buying power as they fall into the 18-34 age demographic, which is the demographic most sought after by advertisers. Someone must've realized that if this merger is to be in any way successful, then WBD has to appeal to both groups equally, not favoring one while alienating the other.

 

[Fone Bone]

Well, that's already blowing up in his and Warner's collective faces. He's lost the trust of many Hollywood animators and creators and the PR department is now having to convince these folks that they can still trust them and the higher-ups aren't out for blood, not to mention them having to point to HBO's remaining diverse content as proof that there's nothing sinister going on.

Again, I'm not defending Zaslav's recent actions; they were rash and burned bridges across Hollywood and the industry. The fact that WBD is now trying to save face over this seems to indicate that either he or someone on the inside knows that if that was truly what Zaslav is (or was) attempting to do, then culturally that's a war he can't win. Discovery's content largely appeals to Middle America, while HBO Max's content (and [adult swim]'s too for that matter) skews more toward a younger more diverse crowd, which by and large has more buying power as they fall into the 18-34 age demographic, which is the demographic most sought after by advertisers. Someone must've realized that if this merger is to be in any way successful, then WBD has to appeal to both groups equally, not favoring one while alienating the other.

On a completely unrelated topic, John Harwood was fired from CNN today. Or is it unrelated after all? I'm telling you this crap isn't about money. And it also hasn't stopped despite WD being in full CYA mode.