In the midst of potential acquisition chaos, Warner Bros. has also been spinning deals with the Fox-owned streaming service Tubi. The most recent agreement gave the ad-supported service the rights to a spread of Cartoon Network and family-friendly Warner Bros. shows.
The context? Most of these shows were removed from HBO Max over the past couple of years, leaving a treasure trove of cartoons and animation stranded from streaming. Since then, fans could only watch most of these shows if they happened to own them on DVD. That makes it all the more significant that starting today, tons of Cartoon Network shows and other Warner Bros. properties are streaming for free, with more to come over the next couple of months.
The decision to take on more cartoons actually goes back to an earlier exchange between Warner Bros. and Tubi. When HBO Max dropped The Looney Tunes in early 2025, Tubi was the streamer to pick it back up. That decision was one of many that contributed to an increase in Tubi’s brand visibility over the course of 2025, with CNBC reporting that the service logged more streaming minutes than HBO Max or Peacock by the end of the year.
It’s unsurprising, then, that the company seemingly paid attention to the level of outcry that happened in response to the continued removals of Cartoon Network programs, seeing another opportunity to preserve some beloved fan-favorites.
You can’t stream Courage the Cowardly Dog anywhere now. https://t.co/mhxhsYAIYZ pic.twitter.com/VlF4JgYK6j
— IGN (@IGN) August 6, 2025
Tubi itself launched as a free, ad-supported streaming service back in 2014 before being acquired by Fox in 2020. It was recently reported as one of the most profitable arms under Fox Entertainment during the company’s most recent financial quarter.
Meanwhile, things continue to be up in the air over at Warner Bros. It initially seemed like things were a done deal between WB and Netflix, with the latter already releasing statements on how they’d handle theatrical releases. More recently, however, WB reopened negotiations, and now Netflix has reportedly walked away from the table. While that leaves some uncertainty for HBO Max subscribers, at the very least, some great cartoons have found a new home.
Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn’t following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
