Where is CN's nostalgia push?

[SG-17]

So CN tried to cash in on the success of T90AAT by launching a revival of Cartoon Planet in 2012. It lasted less than two years and it ran a lot of post-Powerhouse programming, which to be frank the target audience wasn't that interested in.

Ever since that mishap they've done nothing, unless you count Samurai Jack Season 5 which I don't really since Williams Street was behind it. Scheduling on Boomerang is erratic and they don't even show but a fraction of the programming. EEnE is nowhere to be found and that was a huge show for CN.

 

[Vaughn Max]

So CN tried to cash in on the success of T90AAT by launching a revival of Cartoon Planet in 2012. It lasted less than two years and it ran a lot of post-Powerhouse programming, which to be frank the target audience wasn't that interested in.

Ever since that mishap they've done nothing, unless you count Samurai Jack Season 5 which I don't really since Williams Street was behind it. Scheduling on Boomerang is erratic and they don't even show but a fraction of the programming. EEnE is nowhere to be found and that was a huge show for CN.

They probably hate nostalgia and don't care about their fans at all

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[DonTrashRoom]

They've only been doing minor stuff so far. A few T-shirts, the 280 characters video on Twitter back in November, a handful of older shows available through network on-demand.

 

[Dr.Pepper]

I’ve seen a couple T-shirt’s at Kohl’s.

 

[Dudley]

They probably hate nostalgia and don't care about their fans at all

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Or a more sensible explanation is that they know that catering to nostalgia isn’t really a ratings grab.


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[AnimaniacNutso]

Or a more sensible explanation is that they know that catering to nostalgia isn’t really a ratings grab.


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I would agree. The Double Dare Special did well enough for there to be a revival of the series, but the Legends of the Hidden Temple Movie and the Hey Arnold! Jungle Movie only did alright if I recall correctly

Sometimes it's a ratings grab, other times it's not

 

[GustlyWind]

CN is being pretty success ful with TTG right now. I bet if they were in the same situation as Nick they'd be willing to make money with nostalgia.

 

[DonTrashRoom]

Or a more sensible explanation is that they know that catering to nostalgia isn’t really a ratings grab.


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I could see them airing a programming block once a week... and that would be it, honestly.

 

[AnimaniacNutso]

I could see them airing a programming block once a week... and that would be it, honestly.

Well, there was The Cartoon Cartoon Show from 2005 - 2008 that aired a mixture of old and current (at the time) programming and that aired everyday at one point. That's all I can see them doing honestly. At best, a block similar to The Cartoon Cartoon Show

 

[jaylop97]

CN is pretty much the network that pushes forward. Ever since the 20th anniversary onward they really don't focus on older shows, there isn't a lot of rerunning these days of anything that isn't modern, with a few exceptions simply because Ben 10 and Teen Titans do have modern equivalents.

 

[Golden Geek]

On the Boomerang streaming service.

 

[SG-17]

On the Boomerang streaming service.

It only has Courage as a Cartoon Cartoon. No Dexter, no Cow and Chicken, no EEnE.

 

[ThisGuy24]

Or a more sensible explanation is that they know that catering to nostalgia isn’t really a ratings grab.


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Well none of their new shows are ratings grab either tbh.

 

[wonderfly]

Or a more sensible explanation is that they know that catering to nostalgia isn’t really a ratings grab.

Random thought: It does strike me that back in 1992, when Cartoon Network started up, people were doubting the concept, saying "You can't have a 24 hour cable channel revolving around reruns of Looney Tunes/Hanna-Barbera material. Is nostalgia really going to generate that good of ratings?"

And what happened? It took off, and grew more and more popular, and nostalgia was a large part of the early success. Granted, if they had never created "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast", "Dexter's Lab", "Johnny Bravo" or the Toonami block, I don't know if nostalgia could've kept enough fuel going for CN to continue having decent ratings. In the late 90's, they started airing Fox Kids reruns, and eventually moved on to Kids WB reruns. But just like the Sci-Fi Channel had to start creating original material (like "Farscape" and "Battlestar Galactica"), I think Cartoon Network had to invest in original material, at some point.

Okay, but I'm getting sidetracked: My point is, if nostalgia could carry the early Cartoon Network, why can't a nostalgia block carry Cartoon Network now? Who says 13 hours of Teen Titans Go a day is the best format? Young kids are more prone to be internet savvy and stream the episodes on the Cartoon Network app. It's older folks who may still have cable that would appreciate a nostalgia fueled block of old Cartoon Network material.

It only has Courage as a Cartoon Cartoon. No Dexter, no Cow and Chicken, no EEnE.

Next they'll say "Okay, but just go buy the DVD set". And we'll say "I don't want it on a DVD, I want it broadcast! Even if it's at 3 am in the morning. If a show is being broadcast, it still lives on. If it's only available on DVD, it's a collector's item that exists only on a shelf in our homes."

 

[SG-17]

They aren't even fully available on DVD. That's how bad this is.

 

[GustlyWind]

Okay, but I'm getting sidetracked: My point is, if nostalgia could carry the early Cartoon Network, why can't a nostalgia block carry Cartoon Network now? Who says 13 hours of Teen Titans Go a day is the best format? Young kids are more prone to be internet savvy and stream the episodes on the Cartoon Network app. It's older folks who may still have cable that would appreciate a nostalgia fueled block of old Cartoon Network material.

My guess is that it was a different time (no internet thus no streaming and no way to find older shows other than TV itself)

I think right now anyone can go to certain sites that host cartoons and watch whatever they want. It's like questioning why MTV isn't airing music videos anymore.

I don't want to defend what Cartoon Network is doing right now with their programming but that's how I think what's happening right now with older content now airing on TV

 

[GiantWaffle]

I know it's been said before, but I'll say it for the millionth time in case people still don't understand: CN does not have any purpose catering to its nostalgic audience because the current shows and their popularity with kids are what make them money. The shows back in the day are long gone and already gave the network the ratings and money they needed, now the new shows are here to do the same. And once Teen Titans Go and Gumball end, those shows will fade into oblivion and have new shows follow their pattern of keeping the network in business.

They have no reason to rerun the old cartoons because of that, and they would not really fit in the time slot with TTG, Gumball, OK KO, etc. being so successful enough to have so many airings in twelve hours. The only reason they're airing the original Teen Titans and Ben 10 is to promote their modern day reboots.

The eyes of nostalgia seem to make out everything new to be bad just because it's new. CN didn't change, they're just keeping up with the times; if they kept doing the same thing and airing the same shows forever, then people would get bored of it and the network would lose popularity. Why else do you think they have Boomerang? To air the old shows and serve as a nostalgia block.

Plus, I bet that 10 or 20 years from now, kids will be like "Oh remember Teen Titans Go and Steven Universe? Those shows were awesome. Now CN airs nothing but crap" while the new generation of kids enjoys it. Not to mention, the shows that everyone who grew up in the 90s complained about CN airing a decade ago like My Gym Partner's a Monkey and Squirrel Boy are already being praised by 2000s kids who want those shows brought back and think the new stuff is crappy.

Overall, the new stuff is what gives CN their successful ratings. Kids today are unlikely to be familiar with the old stuff or find any entertainment value in it, so why should CN rerun it?

Also, maybe the people at Boomerang and Cartoon Network dont feel a need to release their old shows on DVD or online for free because they know people watch illegal pirated uploads of their shows on Cartoon streaming websites?

 

[SG-17]

Yet apparently CN is doing bad enough in ratings to be removed from basic cable tiers.

If Boomerang wasn't so poorly managed this wouldn't be an issue. If they actually had a classics block that aired at a decent hour.

 

[ThisGuy24]

I know it's been said before, but I'll say it for the millionth time in case people still don't understand: CN does not have any purpose catering to its nostalgic audience because the current shows and their popularity with kids are what make them money. The shows back in the day are long gone and already gave the network the ratings and money they needed, now the new shows are here to do the same. And once Teen Titans Go and Gumball end, those shows will fade into oblivion and have new shows follow their pattern of keeping the network in business.

They have no reason to rerun the old cartoons because of that, and they would not really fit in the time slot with TTG, Gumball, OK KO, etc. being so successful enough to have so many airings in twelve hours. The only reason they're airing the original Teen Titans and Ben 10 is to promote their modern day reboots.

The eyes of nostalgia seem to make out everything new to be bad just because it's new. CN didn't change, they're just keeping up with the times; if they kept doing the same thing and airing the same shows forever, then people would get bored of it and the network would lose popularity. Why else do you think they have Boomerang? To air the old shows and serve as a nostalgia block.

Plus, I bet that 10 or 20 years from now, kids will be like "Oh remember Teen Titans Go and Steven Universe? Those shows were awesome. Now CN airs nothing but crap" while the new generation of kids enjoys it. Not to mention, the shows that everyone who grew up in the 90s complained about CN airing a decade ago like My Gym Partner's a Monkey and Squirrel Boy are already being praised by 2000s kids who want those shows brought back and think the new stuff is crappy.

Overall, the new stuff is what gives CN their successful ratings. Kids today are unlikely to be familiar with the old stuff or find any entertainment value in it, so why should CN rerun it?

Also, maybe the people at Boomerang and Cartoon Network dont feel a need to release their old shows on DVD or online for free because they know people watch illegal pirated uploads of their shows on Cartoon streaming websites?

Popularity? Successful ratings? When did having 600,000 viewers or probably less than, make cartoon network successful? Their new shows are flopping.

 

[DonTrashRoom]

Popularity? Successful ratings? When did having 600,000 viewers or probably less than, make cartoon network successful? Their new shows are flopping.

But then again, ratings are down across the board, across all three of the major kids networks.