Warner Bros., Turner Launching Kids SVOD Service

7 Mar, 2017 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Boomerang TV network going OTT

Warner Bros. and Turner March 7 announced plans for a standalone kids subscription streaming video service bowing in the spring. Dubbed Boomerang, the $4.99 monthly over-the-top service ($39.99 annually) is an extension of Turner’s same-titled children’s TV network that launched in 2000 and is now carried in 144 million homes worldwide.

The service will be available online, iOS and Android devices, including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Warner and Turner are both owned by Time Warner.

This is the first time the two companies have offered the Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes and MGM animation library of more than 5,000 titles on a streaming platform. In addition to original content, the service will feature venerable franchises such as “Scooby-Doo,” “Tom & Jerry,” “Bugs Bunny,” “The Jetsons” and “The Flintstones,” among others.

“It's a whole new way to access Warner’s storied legacy of laughs,” Craig Hunegs, president, business and strategy, Warner Bros. TV group and president, Warner Bros. digital networks, said in a statement.

Original series include Warner Animation’s “Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz,” a fantasy series that follows the ruby slipper adventures of its brave and feisty princess protagonist; and “Wacky Races,” a reboot of the Hanna-Barbera classic series.

“Our ongoing partnership with Warner around this new premium service continues our strategy of making sure our fans are engaged with fresh and fun content whenever and wherever they want it,” said Christina Miller, president of Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim.

The move comes as British-based research firm Ofcom found kids aged 5-15 spend more time online than watching TV. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Nickelodeon (Noggin.com) and Sony (Hopster.com) all offer separate streaming options for children. Disney Kids TV and Sling TV’s “Sling Kids” are slated to launch later this year.

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