 Logo used since January 19, 2015 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Network | Cartoon Network (1992–2004) |
| Headquarters |
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| Programming | |
| Languages | |
| Picture format |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery Networks |
| Parent | The Cartoon Network, Inc. |
| Key people | |
| Sister channels | List
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| History | |
| Launched |
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| Closed | October 3, 2004; 21 years ago (2004-10-03) (block) September 30, 2024; 13 months ago (2024-09-30) (streaming service) |
| Former names | Boomerang from Cartoon Network (2000–2015) |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Internet Protocol television | DirecTV Stream,Hulu + Live TV,Sling TV |
Boomerang is an Americancable televisionnetwork owned byThe Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of theWarner Bros. Discovery Networks division ofWarner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts animated programming from theWarner Bros. Animation library, includingWarner Bros. Cartoons andHanna-Barbera productions among others.
Boomerang debuted in 1992 as aprogramming block onCartoon Network dedicated to classic animation. The block eventually spun-off into its own separate network in 2000, and by the late 2000s, began airing more modern and contemporary programming, including reruns ofCartoon Network original series. A 2015 relaunch aimed to promote Boomerang as a "second flagship" brand alongside Cartoon Network, and saw the network produce its own original programming, with a focus on contemporaryreboots of franchises such asLooney Tunes andScooby-Doo. In 2017, as the cable network lost coverage, Boomerang launched a standaloneSVODover-the-topstreaming service, which operated until 2024.
As of November 2023[update], Boomerang is available to approximately 26 million pay television households in the United States — down from its peak of 47 million households in 2019.[1]
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Turner Broadcasting had built up an extensive catalogue of classic animation throughout the 1980s and beyond, most notably fromTed Turner's short-lived acquisition ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1986 and its acquisition ofHanna-Barbera Productions in 1991. This library – consisting of Hanna-Barbera cartoons originally produced forSaturday mornings, theatricalWarner Bros. (pre-1948) andMGM cartoons, and theParamount-producedPopeye the Sailor shorts – was first showcased indedicated children's programming blocks on TBS and TNT, before migrating toCartoon Network upon its launch in October 1992.
Two months later, on December 8, Cartoon Network introduced a programming block known asBoomerang. The name carried a double meaning, referring to its purpose as a showcase for older, lesser-known Hanna-Barbera series, as well as the block's target audience ofbaby boomers, who grew up watching said series during the 1960s and 1970s. Each week, the Boomerang block devoted its lineup to cartoons produced during and prior to a certain year (e.g., 1969 featuring series such asScooby-Doo, Where Are You! andDastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines).
Eventually, following shifts in scheduling for the block and Cartoon Network's increased investments in original programming, Turner launched a standalone Boomerang channel on April 1, 2000.[2] The Cartoon Network block continued to air until October 3, 2004, by which point all remaining classic cartoons (save forTom and Jerry and variousScooby-Doo series) migrated to the Boomerang channel.
From Boomerang's launch until January 17, 2005, the channel ran its programming in eight-hour blocks that repeated three times a day starting at 8:00 a.m.Eastern Time. Mondays through Thursdays featured regular half-hour and hour-long series, Fridays were dedicated to 24-hour "monthly marathons" of a particular character (a format later reused for theBoomeroyalty block introduced in 2007, by which point it shifted to airing weekends from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time), Saturdays continued to air cartoons from a certain calendar year, and Sundays were devoted to action-adventure cartoons under theBoomeraction banner.
On February 4, 2014, during Turner's upfront presentations, it was announced that Boomerang would become an advertising-supported network, and that there were plans to realign the brand globally across its international feeds.[3][4] A new branding style was introduced in late September forLatin America, before arriving in the United States on January 19, 2015. As part of the relaunch, Boomerang would introduce original programming for the first time, particularly focusing on the most well-known franchises from the Warner archives, while reformatting its schedule withfamily co-viewing in mind. Turner executives described the changes as an effort to grow Boomerang into a "secondflagship" on par with the Cartoon Network.[5][6][7]
On March 7, 2017, Boomerang announced the launch of a branded SVOD streaming service,[8] featuring over 5,000 titles fromHanna-Barbera andWarner Bros. as well as exclusive original programming.[9] The service launched on April 11, 2017, and was available for either for $4.99 per month or $39.99 annually. New episodes and content were planned to be added to the service on a weekly basis.[10]
On November 13, 2018, Boomerang launched a channel on theVRV streaming service.[11] That same year, the 3rd AnnualShorty Social Good Awards nominated Boomerang and theCaptain Planet Foundation for "Best in Entertainment".[12][13]
In August 2024,Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would be shutting down the standalone Boomerang service on September 30. Select content from the app moved to theMax streaming service and remaining Boomerang subscribers were converted to the app's ad-free plan.[14]
Boomerang currently airs a mix of classic cartoons and contemporary re-imaginings of franchises from the Warner Bros. animation library,[15] as well as reruns and occasionalsimulcasts of programming aired onCartoon Network. It has also been used toburn off programs from Cartoon Network. As part of its 2015 relaunch, Boomerang previously produced its own original programs, includingNew Looney Tunes (originally titledWabbit),Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, and ananimated adaptation ofBunnicula.[16]
Boomerang, despite adding newer content to its library over the years, avoidedchannel drift for much of its existence and continued to emphasize programs from the breadth of the Warner Bros. archives. By June 2014, however, most archival series had been relegated tograveyard slots while the daytime schedule became dominated by series produced from the 1990s onward. Since then, this policy has undergone several changes; first placing greater emphasis on shows from the 2010s starting in April 2017, then intermittently bringing older Cartoon Network series back to the schedule between 2018 and 2024, and finally reinstating classic cartoons to the daytime schedule in 2023. Various entries in theTom and Jerry,Looney Tunes, andScooby-Doo franchises have maintained a consistent presence on the schedule since the 2015 rebrand, while previous mainstays such asThe Flintstones,The Jetsons, andThe Smurfs have periodically rejoined, only to be removed from rotation later on.
Not all of the Warner animation library is exclusive to Boomerang. Sister networkDiscovery Family, during its era as the separately-owned Hub Network, has broadcast portions of the catalog that includes series produced in collaboration withSteven Spielberg'sAmblin Entertainment (such asTiny Toon Adventures andAnimaniacs) and most works involvingBatman andSuperman (such as theDC Animated Universe), and has expanded the number of Warner offerings on its lineup following the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022. In addition, Warner's collection ofChristmas specials (including the latter half of theRankin/Bass library) is licensed toAMC'sBest Christmas Ever block as of 2018, after previously airing onFreeform andits predecessors for nearly 20 years as part of the25 Days of Christmas block. In 2019, former Boomerang mainstayThe Flintstones was licensed out toWeigel Broadcasting'sMeTV, which later introducedweekday and Saturday morning blocks featuring Warner content (includingLooney Tunes/Merrie Melodies,Popeye, andMGM shorts) in 2021,[17] and partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to launch spin-off stationMeTV Toons in 2024.[18] Boomerang itself occasionally licenses programming from other distributors, such asThe Rocky and Bullwinkle Show andGarfield and Friends.
Boomerang-branded networks and blocks have been launched globally. As part of the brand's 2015 relaunch, these branches were initially aligned as family co-viewing networks.[19] Beginning in 2021, several of these outlets were re-aligned under thepreschool-orientedCartoonito brand (which would have its own relaunch that year).[20]
Division ofWarner Bros. Discovery | |
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| International |
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| Cartoonito | |
| Studios & Streaming | |
| Albums | |
| Defunct | |
| See also |
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| Broadcasting and FAST streaming group |
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| The Cartoon Network, Inc. |
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| Entertainment Group | |||||
| Lifestyle & Factual Group |
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| Defunct and former ventures |
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