Comcast To Bury Cartoon Network In Its $9.95/Month More Sports & Entertainment Package

Comcast, one of the U.S.’s largest pay TV operators, will remove Cartoon Network from all its core TV packages on August 12, 2025, shifting the channel to its More Sports & Entertainment add-on tier, which costs an additional $9.95 per month, according to reports in several industry trades. This marks the second recent downgrade for the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network, which had already been moved to a more expensive tier earlier this year.

For decades, Cartoon Network has been a cornerstone of linear TV, known for iconic shows like The Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe. But like many traditional cable channels, it has seen declining viewership as younger audiences migrate to streaming platforms like HBO Max, Netflix, and YouTube. Based on data from late 2023, Cartoon Network was available in only 66 million American homes, down from 100 million during its 2011 peak.

Comcast’s move may be intended to align its channel packages with shifting viewer habits, but it risks accelerating the decline of animated content on linear networks. Unlike general entertainment or sports networks, children’s channels rely on discoverability and easy access, especially for younger viewers with limited control over their viewing options.

This decision also places added pressure on Warner Bros. Discovery to continue consolidating its animation strategy around HBO Max, where much of Cartoon Network’s content already lives, or licensing its content to other platforms. But for distributors still committed to a hybrid model of linear and streaming, moves like this make retention even more difficult.

In a competitive and shrinking cable landscape, removing legacy brands from core packages may offer short-term savings, but could come at the cost of long-term value and deliver another blow to an already ailing U.S. studio animation ecosystem. Cartoon Network’s reduced visibility may further weaken an already fragile animation TV ecosystem on cable.