Is Cartoon Network Being Shut Down?
No, but it sure feels like it. Throughout 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery has removed nearly all Cartoon Network programming from its streaming platform Max. Legacy hits like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Teen Titans, and Ed, Edd n Eddy to newer favorites like Steven Universe and Infinity Train have been affected. It’s part of a sweeping strategic pivot that has fans asking “What’s really going on here?” Is this the end of Cartoon Network as we know it?
Not quite but it’s definitely the end of something.
What’s Really Driving This Strategy?
Warner Bros. Discovery has been slashing costs and downsizing legacy content ever since its merger. The company recently took a $9.1 billion write-down on its traditional TV networks (Cartoon Network included), which unlocked tax advantages and helped reclassify parts of its asset library.
By mid-2026, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to split into two separate companies: one focused on global television networks, and the other on streaming and studios. The idea is to give each arm of the business more flexibility. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network is focused on marketing existing IP as a way to survive. The cable channel still exists, but it’s no longer the creative powerhouse it once was.
The standalone Cartoon Network studio was absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation in 2024, its website shut down, and its programming slate drastically reduced. What remains of the brand is being repositioned to focus more on Adult Swim, which hosts adult animation like Rick & Morty and Toonami.
Also, while adult viewers who grew up watching Cartoon Network have stuck around, the cable station has struggled to attract young viewers. Only 13% of 10 to 12 year olds have watched programming on HBO, trailing behind Disney+, Hulu and Netflix, and it came dead last for preschoolers.
It’s tempting to frame this as Warner Bros. Discovery is erasing people’s childhoods for fun. It goes much deeper than that. It’s a choice that comes with some advantages, including a clearer brand identity for Max. The fallout is undeniable though as an entire generation of shows is being evicted from their digital home.
Where Did All the Shows Go?
The good news is that most of these shows aren’t gone, they’re just somewhere else.
Many major Cartoon Network titles have found new homes on Hulu, including The Amazing World of Gumball (and its upcoming revival) and Steven Universe. Others, like Dexter’s Laboratory, are available to purchase on Apple TV+ or as physical media via Amazon. Netflix has picked up some of the leftovers, and Max itself still hosts a few holdouts like Teen Titans Go! and Fionna and Cake for now.
That doesn’t make it less frustrating. Instead of having a one-stop hub for CN classics, fans are now forced to switch between four or five different platforms. This inconvenience reflects the fractured, post-streaming-bubble media landscape we’re all stuck navigating.
Will There Be a New Streaming Home for Cartoon Network?
Don’t count on it.
There are no credible reports suggesting a new Cartoon Network-branded streaming service is in the works. The truth is, niche platforms rarely work, just ask the short-lived DC Universe. Instead, Warner Bros. Discovery is taking a scattershot approach, licensing CN shows to the highest bidders across various platforms.
While it’s possible we’ll continue to see revivals and new animated projects crop up here and there, they’ll be spread across different services depending on audience, region, and deal terms. That’s great for licensing revenue, but less so for anyone trying to watch Ben 10 without hopping platforms.
Cartoon Network’s disappearance from Max isn’t a death, it’s a rebranding. The platform is shifting away from kids’ content. Not because the shows no longer matter, but because the business model behind them no longer fits. For fans, it’s a goodbye to an era, but not the end of the story.
