Now that Cable is almost dead, kids cartoons are starting to come back to Broadcast Networks.

[SpecialColorfull]

I think since Cable has been on a freefall, broadcast has had a much easier time than they did when KidsClick attempted a comeback for cartoons. I think cartoons are starting to return, and since its so easy to beat the cable networks, any network can easily have the highest rated kids broadcasts on Television, even without doing what MeTV Toons did and aiming it at adults instead. Some Spanish Language networks tried it before too, and they did pretty well. They aired Pokemon up to the Orange Islands Arc.

 

[Light Lucario]

I'm not sure how many kids would be interested in broadcast TV channels. I thought that you still needed some cable package to get the broadcast channels, but I could be mistaken. I had to get rid of my cable plan last year and I still don't have a remote for my TV. I only have my Roku remote, so I can't tell if I can still access broadcast TV networks. A lot more kids would be more interested in stuff online like on YouTube or a streaming service more so than broadcast TV.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

I'm not sure how many kids would be interested in broadcast TV channels. I thought that you still needed some cable package to get the broadcast channels, but I could be mistaken. I had to get rid of my cable plan last year and I still don't have a remote for my TV. I only have my Roku remote, so I can't tell if I can still access broadcast TV networks. A lot more kids would be more interested in stuff online like on YouTube or a streaming service more so than broadcast TV.

You are right. I didnt mean like "OMG the ratings are off the charts!" but that now that the bar for ratings is so extremely low, we might actually see Broadcast Networks do cartoons again. I bet even those extremely weak CBS or NBC Kids (Like 0.2 point ratings) would run circles around...

1. Nicktoons
2. Disney XD
3. Disney Jr
4. Nick Jr
5. Baby First
6. Discovery Family Channel

Combined! I might even dare to say CN or Nick! Again, its not that the ratings would be exorbitantly good but that its easy to have more eyes on your network when you are a broadcast network.

 

[Light Lucario]

You are right. I didnt mean like "OMG the ratings are off the charts!" but that now that the bar for ratings is so extremely low, we might actually see Broadcast Networks do cartoons again. I bet even those extremely weak CBS or NBC Kids (Like 0.2 point ratings) would run circles around...

1. Nicktoons
2. Disney XD
3. Disney Jr
4. Nick Jr
5. Baby First
6. Discovery Family Channel

Combined! I might even dare to say CN or Nick! Again, its not that the ratings would be exorbitantly good but that its easy to have more eyes on your network when you are a broadcast network.

Considering that you have to pay extra to include those channels on a cable package and at least three of them are preschool channels, I don't think that getting more ratings than those channels or all of them combined is that impressive. It wouldn't be nothing necessarily, but I don't know how profitable it would be long term to try to get kids watching broadcast TV networks. Just because the bar is so low doesn't mean that they'd be willing to put in the money to do it.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

I actually do know its unlikely but boy is it fun to discuss. Its in a really ambiguous will they or wont they that is ripe for discussion.

 

[powergate92]

It's complicated. The big 5 networks appear to have no interest in airing cartoons that are not aimed at adults outside of holiday specials and movies. Many of the big 5 network stations move the network provided E/I programming to other times in favor of news and sports. However, there are Digital Subchannel networks from smaller companies like Weigel Broadcasting, Get After It Media, and Invincible Entertainment that have decided that there are ways to make money from older cartoons on broadcast TV.

In the case of MeTV Toons, most of the half-hour cartoons are rated TV-Y or TV-Y7 and aimed at kids and must follow the FCC Children's Commercial Limits although the network is technically looking for an adult audience looking for Nostalgia. In the case of YTA, most of their cartoons are rated TV-G bypassing the FCC Children's Commercial Limits as they are primarily aiming for an adult audience looking for Nostalgia. It will be interesting to see what the upcoming Hasbro Legends network does with how it will rate it's shows and what audience it will actually be aimed at.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

I actually do know its unlikely but boy is it fun to discuss. Its in a really ambiguous will they or wont they that is ripe for discussion.

It's complicated. The big 5 networks appear to have no interest in airing cartoons that are not aimed at adults outside of holiday specials and movies. Many of the big 5 network stations move the network provided E/I programming to other times in favor of news and sports. However, there are Digital Subchannel networks from smaller companies like Weigel Broadcasting, Get After It Media, and Invincible Entertainment that have decided that there are ways to make money from older cartoons on broadcast TV.

In the case of MeTV Toons, most of the half-hour cartoons are rated TV-Y or TV-Y7 and aimed at kids and must follow the FCC Children's Commercial Limits although the network is technically looking for an adult audience looking for Nostalgia. In the case of YTA, most of their cartoons are rated TV-G bypassing the FCC Children's Commercial Limits as they are primarily aiming for an adult audience looking for Nostalgia. It will be interesting to see what the upcoming Hasbro Legends network does with how it will rate it's shows and what audience it will actually be aimed at.

This post is epic and I love it. Also it allows me to elaborate that I didnt exactly mean kids would flock to the broadcast networks, but that kids aimed cartoons would return. This is because its a bit easier to profit than it used to be when Nick had 4 million viewers on a bad day and 19 million on a good one. I think CBS and ABC may not ever return but we might see more channels like MeTV Toons or blocks like YTA's in the future. Which air kid friendly cartoons but may or may not aim at kids.

 

[RandomMe]

Why do I think it's complicated? Even if CBS would start airing The Loud House out of nowhere, they would instead favor an E/I-sanitized line-up of shows like when Nick on CBS was a thing. Or could you imagine NBC airing The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants or ABC airing the latest season of Phineas and Ferb? Fat chance, the audience would be lower than the ones on cable, lower even than the amount of clicks on streming upon release, and it would be hard to lure viewers.

 

[powergate92]

I actually do know its unlikely but boy is it fun to discuss. Its in a really ambiguous will they or wont they that is ripe for discussion.

This post is epic and I love it. Also it allows me to elaborate that I didnt exactly mean kids would flock to the broadcast networks, but that kids aimed cartoons would return. This is because its a bit easier to profit than it used to be when Nick had 4 million viewers on a bad day and 19 million on a good one. I think CBS and ABC may not ever return but we might see more channels like MeTV Toons or blocks like YTA's in the future. Which air kid friendly cartoons but may or may not aim at kids.

Also, I should note that the 3 networks I mentioned appear to be using different strategies. MeTV Toons fills half its lineup with block theatrical shorts that are rated TV-G and TV-PG and the other half of its lineup with half-hour cartoons that are rated TV-Y and TV-Y7. By airing those half-hour cartoons with a TV-Y and TV-Y7 rating they are leaving themselves open for those cartoons to be watched by a kids audience without worrying about being block by a V-Chip therefore expanding a possible audience. In exchange they do lose some ad time to FCC Commercial Limits. Since launch MeTV Toons has slowly been added on to major Pay TV Providers and maybe getting Retrans Revenue in addition to Ad Revenue.

YTA airing most of its cartoons (Stone Age is the only one I've seen so far in the last month with a TV-Y rating) with a TV-G rating in order to bypass FCC Commercial Limits and maximize their Ad Revenue (I counted about 13 minutes of paid ads during 1 hour of Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog). YTA mainly broadcast on OTA stations recently expanding to Bridge News stations, but is also available on a few cable providers and has a FAST Channel available on Invincible Entertainment's "Galaxy TV" FAST service.

The upcoming Hasbro Legends network is going to be a case of wait and see how they rate shows and how many paid ads they air. Get After It Media strategy from their other networks is to broadcast OTA TV and FAST only without being carried on Pay TV Providers. So it will likely be reliant on just Ad Revenue. Like Invincible, Get After It Media has its own FAST service call "It's Real Good TV" which will soon be relaunched as "Heartland+" (named after their most popular network "Heartland Network") which will carry the Hasbro Legends network.

 

[powergate92]

Why do I think it's complicated? Even if CBS would start airing The Loud House out of nowhere, they would instead favor an E/I-sanitized line-up of shows like when Nick on CBS was a thing. Or could you imagine NBC airing The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants or ABC airing the latest season of Phineas and Ferb? Fat chance, the audience would be lower than the ones on cable, lower even than the amount of clicks on streming upon release, and it would be hard to lure viewers.

Judging from the fact that in recent years many of the stations started airing the network provided E/I blocks outside of its normal time, I guessing there was a change in contracts probably allowing stations to air the E/I blocks whenever they want and in some cases, some of the programming on a Subchannel. If true, the networks would need to rework their contracts to have stations air the blocks at consistent time when kids can watch. Otherwise, they can also do separate affiliation agreements for the blocks from the network itself that affiliates get right of first refusal on like Fox did in the 90s and 2000s for the Fox Kids Network and ABC currently does with Weekend Adventure.

Edit: Sorry, misread your post as asking why it's complicated. But still good discussion.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

I am glad this thread is fostering such great posts and discussion! Keep them coming!

 

[powergate92]

The upcoming Hasbro Legends network is going to be a case of wait and see how they rate shows and how many paid ads they air. Get After It Media strategy from their other networks is to broadcast OTA TV and FAST only without being carried on Pay TV Providers. So it will likely be reliant on just Ad Revenue. Like Invincible, Get After It Media has its own FAST service call "It's Real Good TV" which will soon be relaunched as "Heartland+" (named after their most popular network "Heartland Network") which will carry the Hasbro Legends network.

To add to this post, there is also the question of whether the current Hasbro Legends FAST Channel on Roku and Prime will continue separately, be replaced with Get After it Media's version, and be discontinued in favor of using the Heartland+ service for the FAST Channel.

 

[PF9]

I don't see networks doing it, but there are quite a few recent kids cartoons that have surpassed 100 half hours that could be profitable if syndicated to local stations regardless of what network affiliation they have if any.

From Nick, there's SpongeBob and The Loud House. The latter's package can include all 60 episodes of The Casagrandes, retrofitted with the version of the TLH opening from the first few episodes of S4, and with the TLH ending credits.

Disney has Big City Greens.

Any show that reaches 100 episodes should be put into local syndication no matter the genre.

 

[RandomMe]

Any show that reaches 100 episodes should be put into local syndication no matter the genre.

I'm a little skeptical for the larger companies to port their cable cartoons to syndication

 

[LinusFan303]

There is another problem. Broadcast networks and local TV are also in trouble. If cable is almost dead, then they are also close to dead. Their business model thanks again to the terrible deregulation in the 90's , has mostly been local stations asking cable companies for money to run their stations on cable and raising the prices on the cable companies each time. The broadcast networks starting asking local stations for money too instead of the other around. So there's something that's going to give. Plus with Nexstar and Sinclair trying their best to ruin local TV, it's also a ticking clock.

Judging from the fact that in recent years many of the stations started airing the network provided E/I blocks outside of its normal time, I guessing there was a change in contracts probably allowing stations to air the E/I blocks whenever they want and in some cases, some of the programming on a Subchannel

Yeah due to the time zone and sports coming on on weekends at like 10 or 11AM, my stations here mostly run their E/I at way different times. Channel 2 runs theirs at 6-8am on Saturday before the news, Channel 4 is the only one that attempts to run them between 9-11am, Channel 7 runs theirs weekdays at 2pm, 9NEWS runs theirs weekdays at 12:30pm, Channel 31 runs theirs weekdays at Noon.

I don't see networks doing it, but there are quite a few recent kids cartoons that have surpassed 100 half hours that could be profitable if syndicated to local stations regardless of what network affiliation they have if any.

From Nick, there's SpongeBob and The Loud House. The latter's package can include all 60 episodes of The Casagrandes, retrofitted with the version of the TLH opening from the first few episodes of S4, and with the TLH ending credits.

Disney has Big City Greens.

Any show that reaches 100 episodes should be put into local syndication no matter the genre.

Syndication is kind of dying in total. There will be only 4 running new episodes talk shows next season, there's really not been much in sitcoms, probably because networks have barely had sitcoms run enough episodes to make it. No station owner is going to want to buy cartoons that they can't really fit into a line up. Most programming is the news now.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

Linus' post is a cold but needed dose of reality. The only comeback argument I will make is that I know Traditional TV is dying, but I think that until it actually dies, we can still hope things for it. Its the end, but like a retired old person they can make decisions to make the end comfy and on their terms. I think we will see interesting things before the end.

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

Linus' post is a cold but needed dose of reality. The only comeback argument I will make is that I know Traditional TV is dying, but I think that until it actually dies, we can still hope things for it. Its the end, but like a retired old person they can make decisions to make the end comfy and on their terms. I think we will see interesting things before the end.

There was a Yogi Bear cartoon on for Christmas season on the CW last year. But we haven’t seen that much animation hit the CW since then. Was still interesting to see Yogi’s First Christmas on CW instead of Boomerang.

 

[LinusFan303]

Yeah I'm not hoping traditional TV goes down, it's not something I'd want. If anything, I don't like what's been going on with it and radio and how it was really heavily self-inflicted. I wouldn't be against children's TV being on broadcast again, I'd only argue to not be a Saturday Morning affair, though. But I don't see it happening because of how things are. I also had to point out that broadcast TV and cable channels kind of had the same problem going on, since they were funded the same way for the past 30 years.

 

[powergate92]

Also, I should note that the 3 networks I mentioned appear to be using different strategies. MeTV Toons fills half its lineup with block theatrical shorts that are rated TV-G and TV-PG and the other half of its lineup with half-hour cartoons that are rated TV-Y and TV-Y7. By airing those half-hour cartoons with a TV-Y and TV-Y7 rating they are leaving themselves open for those cartoons to be watched by a kids audience without worrying about being block by a V-Chip therefore expanding a possible audience. In exchange they do lose some ad time to FCC Commercial Limits. Since launch MeTV Toons has slowly been added on to major Pay TV Providers and maybe getting Retrans Revenue in addition to Ad Revenue.

YTA airing most of its cartoons (Stone Age is the only one I've seen so far in the last month with a TV-Y rating) with a TV-G rating in order to bypass FCC Commercial Limits and maximize their Ad Revenue (I counted about 13 minutes of paid ads during 1 hour of Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog). YTA mainly broadcast on OTA stations recently expanding to Bridge News stations, but is also available on a few cable providers and has a FAST Channel available on Invincible Entertainment's "Galaxy TV" FAST service.

The upcoming Hasbro Legends network is going to be a case of wait and see how they rate shows and how many paid ads they air. Get After It Media strategy from their other networks is to broadcast OTA TV and FAST only without being carried on Pay TV Providers. So it will likely be reliant on just Ad Revenue. Like Invincible, Get After It Media has its own FAST service call "It's Real Good TV" which will soon be relaunched as "Heartland+" (named after their most popular network "Heartland Network") which will carry the Hasbro Legends network.

It appears I stand corrected on MeTV Toons approach. According to Weigel's Waver Request to the FCC (see MeTV Toons thread), the reason they air certain cartoons as Children's Programs subject to commercial limits with TV-Y and TV-Y7 ratings out of caution is because of an FCC definition from the former FCC Form 303–C which they believe is still in effect today. That definition is "programs originally produced and broadcast primarily for an audience of children 12 years old and under" are considered Children's Programs. This definition excluded "programs originally produced for a general audience that might nevertheless be significantly viewed by children." Also, the request sounds like MeTV Toons does not get Retrans Revenue from Pay TV Providers and is entirely dependent on Advertising Revenue.

Now if the Waiver Request for MeTV Toons is granted, or better yet the FCC clarifies the definition the of Children's Programs to exclude the broadcast 20+ year old programs that are being aim at older audience that are looking for Nostalgia, that could be a game changer for classic cartoons on broadcast TV. It will be interesting to see what the FCC does with Weigel's Waver Request.

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

It appears I stand corrected on MeTV Toons approach. According to Weigel's Waver Request to the FCC (see MeTV Toons thread), the reason they air certain cartoons as Children's Programs subject to commercial limits with TV-Y and TV-Y7 ratings out of caution is because of an FCC definition from the former FCC Form 303–C which they believe is still in effect today. That definition is "programs originally produced and broadcast primarily for an audience of children 12 years old and under" are considered Children's Programs. This definition excluded "programs originally produced for a general audience that might nevertheless be significantly viewed by children." Also, the request sounds like MeTV Toons does not get Retrans Revenue from Pay TV Providers and is entirely dependent on Advertising Revenue.

Now if the Waiver Request for MeTV Toons is granted, or better yet the FCC clarifies the definition the of Children's Programs to exclude the broadcast 20+ year old programs that are being aim at older audience that are looking for Nostalgia, that could be a game changer for classic cartoons on broadcast TV. It will be interesting to see what the FCC does with Weigel's Waver Request.

Would a show like the Flintstones that was originally aimed at adults but skewed younger be interpreted by the FCC as a kids or general audience program? I will be curious to see how the FCC respond to Weigel.