Netflix and Amazon aren’t the only names in streaming these days. If you’re fan of documentary films, there’s Curiosity. If you’re more of an anime fan, there’s Crunchyroll. But where, you ask, is the streaming service for those who love falling anvils and “those meddling kids”? Wouldn’t it be neat if those old shows that went away could turn around and come back, like a Boomerang?
Starting this spring, Warner Bros. has you covered with Boomerang, a new streaming service that promises to deliver hours of Acme-branded nostalgia. Classic 2-D cartoons in the Warner Bros. catalogue (which includes the Hanna-Barbera IP) will be available for ad-free streaming on Web, iOS, and Android. There is no official launch date yet, but you can sign up for e-mail updates.
The target market seems to be the adults who grew up watching Tom and Jerry, Fred Flintstone, and Mr. Spacely in Saturday morning cartoon blocks. “Shows you loved that your kids can watch with you,” says Boomerang’s site. Priced at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, it shouldn’t be a hard sell in our subscription-happy era. Warner Bros. stands to gain from moving their popular shows to streaming services: no paying for advertisers, and they could capture some of the young child demographic as parents increasingly move away from cable.
Boomerang also will feature new, exclusive programming. Titles will include a reboot of Wacky Races, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, and more to be announced. If classic American cartoons are the marshmallows in your Lucky Charms, Boomerang may be the streaming service for you.
