Time Warner-owned Turner and Warner Bros. have come together to launch a new standalone Boomerang premium Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service that will launch in the US this spring.
Spanning more than 5,000 titles, the service will include the entire Hanna-Barbera, Loony Tunes and MGM animation content libraries. Also streaming would be classic franchises like Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny and The Jetsons, the US$5-monthly Boomerang service will provide access to brand-new original series too.
“There’s a high volume of episodes. We’ll launch with 1,000, and roll out over time with more and more content,” says Christina Miller, president of Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim.
The ad-free toons on the service, available initially on Boomerang.com, iOS and Android devices, are designed to appeal to all ages of consumers.
As for original content, the first series to launch on the Boomerang SVOD will be Warner Bros. Animation’s Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, which follows Dorothy on her adventures as a feisty princess protagonist in Oz. That will be followed by Wacky Racers, a reboot of the classic Hanna-Barbera slapstick comedy series.
For now, there are no plans to add any Cartoon Network or Adult Swim content to the SVOD, and Boomerang will still continue to run as a linear 24/7 channel.
The SVOD will also offer family profiles, personalised recommendations, download-to-go content and Spanish audio and interactive features. It is developed by DramaFever, a Warner Bros. Digital Networks company.
Following the spring launch, it will expand to other platforms including Amazon, Roku and Apple TV as well.
