Disney loses Pokémon rights

[SpecialColorfull]

I know I am the usual defender of anime on tv so I AM biased, I admit it. But Disney XD has aired anime on Weekday afternoons again and they did PRETTY well. I think this recent change was preparing for this.

 

[LinusFan303]

It would be nice if Journeys could air on Disney XD, it's been enough time where it makes sense to run it there and not hurt Netflix. I think Horizons stays on Netflix for now. Netflix getting the US rights (the BBC has like UK rights up to Horizons) did kind of kill the hype so to speak on the series, since it's not loaded weekly. I think Disney did misstep in not picking up for Disney+ in the early days of Disney Plus, but I guess at the time they were hoping that only Disney stuff and random stuff they bought would be enough. Not a a bad move.

Again Pokémon does air older series free on a WildBrain owned free streaming channel, and there's older series up to XY on other services like Prime video and even Tubi/ Roku Channel.

I am pretty surprised by this news though. It does feel like a way to help keep Disney XD afloat a bit longer, although I don't know if that will work, as well as a way to give more attention to Disney+. The Pokemon TV YouTube channel has been putting episodes available for free and they just started the Battle Frontier season, so people fortunately can watch quite a few episodes for free already. But having more ways for people to access the anime is still good.

XY is also Tubi and Roku Channel.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

I know I immediately believed this but I realized we dont actually have a reliable source for this. The earliest source are two twitter fan accounts.

 

[Light Lucario]

XY is also Tubi and Roku Channel.

Netflix also has XY. I couldn't remember if it was there earlier, but I double checked and it was. Roku has a live Pokemon TV channel that has seems to have access to every series until Journeys. Multiple streaming services have access to the streaming rights for different Pokemon series, so Disney getting it might not impact the Netflix deal as much as people think. It still wouldn't be impossible for the next series to be on Disney+ instead. Assuming that Winds/Waves come out next fall, the anime series won't even start in Japan until around that time and the dub won't be out until 2028, so it's going to be awhile before we even get a new anime series. It's just too early to tell for sure.

 

[cartoonnetworkpoke]

I know nostalgia plays a factor but I miss Pokemon on CN.

 

[Light Lucario]

I know nostalgia plays a factor but I miss Pokemon on CN.

Cartoon Network did treat Pokemon pretty well for the first few years it was on their lineup. But by mid or late BW, Pokemon felt like an afterthought to them. It was premiering on early Saturday morning slots with little to no promotion and little to no rerun slots. Maybe the lack of reruns was less of an issue by a certain point since new episodes were uploaded to their On Demand section, but it still showed how little Cartoon Network cared about Pokemon by that point. By the time SM was announced for Disney XD, no one was really shocked by the news since Cartoon Network hadn't really put much effort into promoting the anime for a long time.

To be fair, I can't blame Cartoon Network too much in a way since focusing on their own original shows makes far more sense from a business perspective. They make a lot more money off of their own shows than just airing Pokemon or other third party shows. Not to mention airing third party shows in general was becoming much less standard for kids channels and TV in general by that point. Moving to Netflix was probably for the best in terms of exposure and attracting more people to the platform, but certainly not without its own problems. Fans have said that the binge release method has really weakened discussion for the Pokemon dub. Granted, I don't think there was much discussion to begin with since a lot of the big moments from various anime series that have gained attention in the past few years have been from fans watching the Japanese version, but waiting months of new episodes to drop still probably hasn't helped.

I couldn't imagine modern Cartoon Network picking up Pokemon again and given the dumpster fire going on with WB right now, I don't think I'd want them to even get the rights to air the series again anyway. Disney XD is still airing toyetic anime series, so Pokemon won't stand out like a sore thumb on their lineup. Disney+ is also more interested in anime in general than HBO Max has been. I'm sure that fans miss the days of Cartoon Network proper airing anime instead of having that only be for Adult Swim, but I don't think that they're going back into airing anime, let alone get Pokemon again.

 

[PF9]

Cartoon Network did treat Pokemon pretty well for the first few years it was on their lineup. But by mid or late BW, Pokemon felt like an afterthought to them. It was premiering on early Saturday morning slots with little to no promotion and little to no rerun slots. Maybe the lack of reruns was less of an issue by a certain point since new episodes were uploaded to their On Demand section, but it still showed how little Cartoon Network cared about Pokemon by that point. By the time SM was announced for Disney XD, no one was really shocked by the news since Cartoon Network hadn't really put much effort into promoting the anime for a long time.

To be fair, I can't blame Cartoon Network too much in a way since focusing on their own original shows makes far more sense from a business perspective. They make a lot more money off of their own shows than just airing Pokemon or other third party shows. Not to mention airing third party shows in general was becoming much less standard for kids channels and TV in general by that point. Moving to Netflix was probably for the best in terms of exposure and attracting more people to the platform, but certainly not without its own problems. Fans have said that the binge release method has really weakened discussion for the Pokemon dub. Granted, I don't think there was much discussion to begin with since a lot of the big moments from various anime series that have gained attention in the past few years have been from fans watching the Japanese version, but waiting months of new episodes to drop still probably hasn't helped.

I couldn't imagine modern Cartoon Network picking up Pokemon again and given the dumpster fire going on with WB right now, I don't think I'd want them to even get the rights to air the series again anyway. Disney XD is still airing toyetic anime series, so Pokemon won't stand out like a sore thumb on their lineup. Disney+ is also more interested in anime in general than HBO Max has been. I'm sure that fans miss the days of Cartoon Network proper airing anime instead of having that only be for Adult Swim, but I don't think that they're going back into airing anime, let alone get Pokemon again.

Ironically it was WB that released Detective Pikachu (except in Japan where Toho handled distribution) and it would end up airing multiple times on the legacy Turner channels.

 

[LinusFan303]

Well looks like Journeys is leaving Netflix after June 14, so hmmm makes one think. (Don't ask why I spelled Journeys that way)

 

[Light Lucario]

While the timing is suspicious, this isn't the first time Journeys has been set to leave Netflix. They've done that a few other times only for it to stay on the site. Plus, the lack of any official announcement from either Disney or TPCI makes me uncertain about this affecting Netflix so quickly, especially when I don't think that there was any date on Journeys prior to this week.

 

[Markus]

I'm sure that fans miss the days of Cartoon Network proper airing anime instead of having that only be for Adult Swim, but I don't think that they're going back into airing anime, let alone get Pokemon again.

It would stick out as an outsider show even if CN really would have had interest to pick up the show. Let alone the fact that it doesn't even fit on AS demographic anyway. Disney XD still has some animes so it fits there more even with lower ratings compared to CN's average. Disney+ having it is pretty big as there are a lot of subscribers. Not comparable to Netflix but still.

 

[Light Lucario]

It would stick out as an outsider show even if CN really would have had interest to pick up the show. Let alone the fact that it doesn't even fit on AS demographic anyway. Disney XD still has some animes so it fits there more even with lower ratings compared to CN's average. Disney+ having it is pretty big as there are a lot of subscribers. Not comparable to Netflix but still.

There's no way Pokemon would ever be considered an option for Adult Swim. I was referring to Cartoon Network themselves not being into airing anime or even the Pokemon anime again. I don't know how much exposure a new series could get if it does air on Disney XD, but they have been airing multiple new toyetic series over the past few years, so clearly some people are still watching the channel. I've heard that Disney+ doesn't really treat its anime titles that well. Netflix has its own problems in that regard too, but it's hard to say if Disney+ would be a significant upgrade from Netflix.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

It would stick out as an outsider show even if CN really would have had interest to pick up the show. Let alone the fact that it doesn't even fit on AS demographic anyway. Disney XD still has some animes so it fits there more even with lower ratings compared to CN's average. Disney+ having it is pretty big as there are a lot of subscribers. Not comparable to Netflix but still.

This is why I really wanna see the ratings for Yu Gi Oh and Beyblade. Because it seems like its an experiment that ACTUALLY did pay off, unlike these reruns.

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

This is why I really wanna see the ratings for Yu Gi Oh and Beyblade. Because it seems like its an experiment that ACTUALLY did pay off, unlike these reruns.

I would be curious to see how the weekday run of Go Rush is doing. They are sometimes airing Go Rush and two episodes of Beyblade X, like last Friday. If they just added Pokemon to the lineup, it could be a full two hour after school anime block, like Kids WB Toonami. The timing does seem interesting… let’s see whether Journeys is actually gone tomorrow. Luckily I already watched Journeys fully. Horizons isn’t set to expire soon and actually has new episodes coming later this month.

 

[Markus]

I've heard that Disney+ doesn't really treat its anime titles that well. Netflix has its own problems in that regard too, but it's hard to say if Disney+ would be a significant upgrade from Netflix.

I wasn't talking about treatment and upgrade from Netflix but as in it's one of the most popular services (top 3). The viewers count should still be pretty high. Now it has a better chance to perform better since usually Netflix live-action shows do better. Now with it being on a family platform, it's likely doing better than most shows.

 

[LinusFan303]

Journeys is not on Netflix or Prime Video today (forgot to mention it was there too) maybe it is moving to Disney's stuff or we wait and see.

 

[Light Lucario]

I noticed that earlier as well. I'm not sure if that has happened the past couple of times Journeys was set to leave Netflix. The timing is still suspicious, but I'm also curious why there hasn't been any official announcement if they are planning on moving the series to Disney+. It just seems rather strange to move the series from Netflix before we get any actual announcement from either Disney or TPCI about it, especially when August isn't really that far off from now.

It's also strange that they still have the first fifty two episodes of the original series, Pokemon XY, Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, Secrets of the Jungle and the Arceus Chronicles special. Not that I'd want Netflix to get rid of all of their non-Horizons or Concerige series and movies, but it just feels strange to only remove Journeys.

 

[LinusFan303]

I noticed that earlier as well. I'm not sure if that has happened the past couple of times Journeys was set to leave Netflix. The timing is still suspicious, but I'm also curious why there hasn't been any official announcement if they are planning on moving the series to Disney+. It just seems rather strange to move the series from Netflix before we get any actual announcement from either Disney or TPCI about it, especially when August isn't really that far off from now.

It's also strange that they still have the first fifty two episodes of the original series, Pokemon XY, Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, Secrets of the Jungle and the Arceus Chronicles special. Not that I'd want Netflix to get rid of all of their non-Horizons or Concerige series and movies, but it just feels strange to only remove Journeys.

I think each series is a different deal and even Journeys became non exclusive after awhile. It could be Disney is getting the TV rights and that could include Journeys (only a guess) and some streaming rights to Journeys to join their own rights streaming for Sun and Moon. Netflix probably keeps Horizons they are getting a new batch of episodes soon. But everything is just unclear for now, hopefully something is announced soon.

 

[Golden Geek]

Looks like Pokémon may be going to Disney Channel instead of XD after all. If it isn't a temporary preview before it gets moved to XD (like Yokai Watch before), it'd be the first regularly-airing anime series on Disney Channel US...ever? (edit note: rumor but the source has been trustworthy before)

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

I wonder what all this means. I honestly doubt Disney Channel will air Pokemon. Unless Disney XD is going to merge into Disney Channel like their YouTube channels combined. I’m worried Disney Channel would treat Beyblade X and Yu-Gi-Oh Go Rush badly if they don’t outperform kid coms. Like how Digimon Fusion lasted one month on Nickelodeon Saturday mornings then got dumped to Nicktoons.

Not sure this is a good idea. Disney Channel might be needed to offset licensing costs for Pokemon though. I do hope Pokemon is now considered a classic and Disney Channel makes some sort of vintage anime block airing shows like Pokemon and Digimon. Just not holding my breath.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

And the sources, other than a fan account, are...?