Under the ongoing campaign by Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, Discovery, to erase content, anime fans mourn the destruction of Planet Nielsen.
In case Zaslav’s reputation among the comics community wasn’t already low enough, the controversial CEO regime made a surprising and subtle move this week that sparked outrage across many online fanbases. Following recent updates to the Max streaming library, seven Cartoon Network shows have disappeared from the premium streaming service, with Ben 10, Steven Universe, the 2016 Powerpuff Girls revival, Amazing World of Gumball, We Bare Bears, Chowder, and Regular Show withdrawn. From service without a “leaving soon” notice.
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Now that the entire entertainment industry is firmly on a downward slope after peak streaming, it seems that no TV series — no matter how beloved or endlessly cited — is safe from the content cuts that have become company-wide policy under Zaslav. However, fans of JG Quintel’s offbeat and beloved animated sitcom have to admit they should have seen this coming and ripped some DVDs:
It’s unfortunate that Regular Show and other beloved anime comedies from the streamer’s library are just the latest step in Zaslav’s ongoing antagonism of anime fans. When Zaslav canceled the already completed and already well received film Coyote vs. Peakfans of Warner Bros.’s animated classic have loved it. (and several filmmakers) campaigned to convince Warner Bros. Discovery allowed the film’s director, Dave Green, to court other distributors. But despite Netflix, Amazon and Paramount all making offers to buy the film, Zaslav refused to sell it, choosing to take the tax deduction instead.
Then, last August, Zaslav made the move to shut down the classic anime streaming service Boomerang. Ironically, in announcing that Boomerang would be shutting down its servers for good, Warner Bros. Making the move a customer-friendly integration, she wrote: “Starting September 30, you can watch fan-favorite Boomerang shows alongside Max’s full catalog of series.” Hit series, hit movies, new original movies, breaking news and family favorites including The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans Go! Lego Batman and more! As mentioned above, The Amazing World of Gumball was one of the shows Max quietly pulled from its service this week.
When Warner Bros. Discovery nuked Cartoon Network’s entire website the same month they announced the end of Boomerang, the writing on the wall was that despite what Zaslav’s PR department might claim, Max’s catalog wouldn’t be relevant to cartoons for much longer. Now, with selections growing and subscription prices higher than ever, it’s time for fans of any animated show to invest in some Zaslav-free, high-definition physical media, just like the Nielsonians wanted.
