Cartoon Network, the legendary product of Warner Bros., has decided to take its official website offline after 26 years to promote streaming.
Warner Bros. Company has finally taken down the Cartoon Network website. The website, which has been online since 1998, catered to a mass of children streaming shows online. The website that once showed a library of all published cartoon shows like Powerpuff Girls, Teen Titans Go, and Steven Universe now redirects to the streaming service Max.
Max is not available to stream globally and can be accessed from certain locations only through VPN services. It is also a replacement website for HBO Max, the streaming giant's official website, which was taken down this year. The company claims that the multiple websites going down is not a sign of negative revenues or bad products. These changes are part of an effort to include all the digital content under one roof.
"We are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find consumers are the most engaged and there is a meaningful potential for growth. While we have closed some digital products, fans can continue to interact with Cartoon Network via the Cartoon Network app as well as select TV providers apps on platforms including mobile and connected devices like Roku, Apple TV and Amazon and via social platforms."
- Cartoon Network's spokesperson
For the last week, a message has been popping up in the browsers of Cartoon Network website subscribers, saying, "Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows? Check out what's available to stream on Max (subscription required)." The welcome message also invites cable TV subscribers to access the content library online for free.
The Cartoon Network website is one of the latest casualties of the streaming wars going on globally. Before this, Comedy Central, MTV News, and CMT's websites were taken down by their parent company, Paramount Global, in June this year. Paramount also dissolved a preschool-aged kids channel, Noggin, in February this year.
The competition among child-friendly content is rapidly growing in the online space, and leading giants like Disney Plus, Netflix, and Paramount are not backing down in any optimization and engagement efforts. While the internet archive may still show some of the shows that were published on the Cartoon Network website, a lot of them have been made inaccessible indefinitely.
