XPost: rec.arts.tv, alt.animation.warner-bros

Boomerang Cartoon Streaming Service Is Being Shut Down
by Warner Bros. Discovery
► ------------------------------------------------------
Media company will merge cartoon catalog into Max

Zoinks! After more than seven years, Boomerang, the cartoon
streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery, is shutting
down as a standalone service.

Boomerang will be shut down next month, and its catalog of
shows - including "Scooby-Doo," "Looney Tunes," "Tom and
Jerry," "The Flintstones," "Courage the Cowardly Dog" and
more - will become part of Max. "As of September 30, 2024,
the Boomerang app and website will no longer be available,"
the service says in a notice on its customer website.

"Starting September 30, you can watch fan-favorite Boomerang
shows alongside Max's full catalog of iconic series, hit
movies, fresh originals, breaking news, and family favorites
including 'The Amazing World of Gumball,' 'Teen Titans Go!,'
'Lego Batman' and more!" Boomerang says in the customer
notice.

As of next month, mostáBoomerang subscribers will be migrated
to WBD's Max ad-free tier, retaining their current
subscription price for a minimum of six months. Currently,
Boomerang costs $5.99/month, whereas Max With Ads is
$9.99/month.

According to WBD, the Boomerang TV classic cartoons channel
will continue to be available through partner pay-TV
providers.

The Boomerang streaming service originally launched in 2017
when the company was still called Time Warner (prior to the
close of its acquisition by AT&T and subsequently sale to
Discovery).

Earlier this year, the company similarly shut down the
MotorTrend+ automotive streaming service and migrated the
content to Discovery+ and Max. In that case, most MotorTrend+
customers were automatically switched over to Discovery+'s
ad-free plan.

Media companies once saw the opportunity to offer different
interest-oriented streaming services at varying price points.
But they've increasingly moved to consolidate or bundle their
streaming businesses together in a bid to save costs, cut churn
and boost engagement.

For example, Disney has integrated Hulu with Disney+ and is
aggressively pushing the price-discounted bundle with both
services (as well as the three-way bundle that also includes
ESPN+). Paramount Global killed off its Showtime and Noggin
standalone streaming services, merging those content catalogs
with the flagship Paramount+ streamer.


<https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/boomerang-streaming-shutting-down-1236094396/>

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