Warner Bros. Discovery kids’ channels to leave FOXTEL in May

Foxtel is set to lose even more Warner Bros. Discovery content, with the closure of the Cartoon Network and Boomerang channels confirmed for May 13.

The move follows the Australian launch of WBD’s streaming platform Max on March 31, which was marked by a high-profile Sydney event featuring key cast members from HBO hits The Last of Us and The White Lotus.

While Foxtel notes that the Max app (basic with ads) is included in customer subscriptions—and yes, that includes access to Cartoon Network and Boomerang content at no extra cost—the shift still signals a further breakdown in the group’s long-standing relationship with WBD—one that’s seen channel exits and content migration ramp up in recent months.

The loss of Cartoon Network and Boomerang will come as another blow to subscribers, many of whom have grown frustrated with Foxtel’s shrinking content library amid rising costs for the service. The pace of removals often seems to outstrip the arrival of fresh content—much of the channels are available elsewhere, often for free.

This latest move follows the 2023 exit of Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. from the service, after Paramount Australia reclaimed the local feed and rebranded 10 Shake as Nickelodeon, giving the iconic kids brand a new free-to-air home and further cutting into Foxtel’s family lineup.

With Cartoon Network and Boomerang soon to be gone, DreamWorks will become the sole dedicated kids channel left on the platform. While it still airs familiar titles like Postman Pat, Gabby’s Dollhouse, Kung Fu Panda, and The Boss Baby: Back in Business, the overall offering has thinned considerably.

It caps off a turbulent stretch for Foxtel, following its recent sale to DAZN (pronounced “da zone”) and the departures of several key execs—Amanda Laing to Nine, Alison Hurbert-Burns stepping away, and John Beohm also exiting Binge to join rival Max.

For a platform once known for having it all, Foxtel’s channel and content equation is starting to feel increasingly one-sided.