Development Alert (Rumour): Invincible Fight Girl Commissioned By Cartoon Network Might Be Heading To Adult Swim

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Invincible Fight Girl is an upcoming American animated action-comedy television series created by DC Super Hero Girls' Juston Gordon-Montgomery. It follows Andy, a young girl who dreams of becoming the greatest pro wrestler of all time.

Assuming the wrestler alias "Fight Girl", Andy sets out into the bizarre and colorful Wrestling World, determined to make a name for herself. Along the way, she meets cynical retired champ, Aunt P; the endearingly innocent Mikey, a great wrestling analyst-in-the-making; and the unscrupulous Craig, who doesn’t so much love wrestling as he does scheming ways to profit off it. 

The series was greenlit by Cartoon Network in 2021 alongside Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures With Superman. It had since then through several delays due to corporate restructure which had several already completed films and series being erased from existence. 

There were others like Batman: Caped Crusader and Merry Little Batman that were shipped to rival platforms, Amazon Prime Video. With some positioning being done to Cartoon Network as shows like Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures With Superman fold under Adult Swim.

Cartoon Network is no stranger to character driven content as there was Samurai Jack, Ben 10 and Adventure Time. But for some reason, it seems like corporate is trying to keep such content away from the channel and focus more on comedic shows. 

During the week, a user on X had mentioned Invincible Fight Girl was being previewed on Adult Swim due to its wrestling plot. This means Tiny Toons Looniversity would be the only original program on the network in 2024 as the latter Inyanu: Child Of Wonder and Totally Spies! are licensed. 

Although, there hasn't been official confirmation it wouldn't seem far fetched considering how originals on both Cartoon Network and Cartoonito has been screwed over in the last months.

Interesting Fact: Boomerang Would Have Become A Preschool Channel By 2005 Or 2006

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Tickle U was Cartoon Network's first attempt at a rival offering with Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. It debuted as a programming block on August 22, 2005 to January 13, 2006 with shows like Peppa Pig, Gerald McBoing Boing, Firehouse Tales and Little Robots.

Very little was known at the time at what led to inevitable demise of various theories did come to mind. One was the rival offering viewed on the as mentioned Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. brands with the other likely dealing with the content in general. 

Tickle U aired lesser known shows and the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery didn't browse their archives at the time. They had A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Krypto The Superdog and Baby Looney Tunes all of which never made it to the preschool block.

However people familiar with the matter had outlined that Warner Bros. Discovery had considered making Boomerang a preschool channel. This would be through Tickle U trademark and with the channel likely to be revolvant on its content.

Despite it not materializing, Boomerang did however did start airing more modernized shows in the later years like Krypto The Superdog and Gerald McBoing Boing. It wasn't long till Warner Bros. Discovery's next attempt at the preschool market, Cartoonito.

Cartoonito was a household trademark in the UK before expanding to other parts of Europe. It formed part of Boomerang's family lineup with shows like Baby Looney Tunes, Interstellar Ella and Lu Lu And The Bally Bunch before taking up the rest of the channel. 

Warner Bros. Discovery And Weigel Broadcasting To Rollout New Children's Channel, MeTV Toons

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Classic TV network MeTV is turning its cartoon block into a new network. Owner Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced Wednesday that it will launch MeTV Toons as a new national TV network focused on classic animation, “from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites.”

MeTV Toons, which launches June 25, is a collab between Weigel and Warner Bros. Discovery, which has licensed content featuring its animated characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, George Jetson, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Popeye, Johnny Quest and Fred Flintstone. (MeTV already airs a daily program, “Toon In With Me,” which features a heavy emphasis on Warner bros. animated fare.)

Weigel touts MeTV Toons as “the only TV network destination dedicated exclusively to classic animation” — as Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cartoon Network companion Boomerang, which also runs old Looney Tunes, “The Jetsons,” “The Flintstones,” “Scooby-Doo” and Popeye shorts, also runs some more recent, post-2000 cartoon episodes.

Beyond Warner Bros. titles, MeTV Toons will also feature animated content from other studios and distributors, with properties including Rocky and Bullwinkle, Woody Woodpecker, Casper, Betty Boop and Speed Racer.

“We are honored to work with the amazing team at Warner Bros. Discovery and others on this network and bring together a truly incredible collection of the world’s best known and most loved classic cartoons, creating a new destination for everyone to discover or rediscover the sheer joy of watching cartoons on TV,” said Weigel vice chairman Neal Sabin. “MeTV Toons will be dedicated 24/7 to showcasing the biggest names and most beloved classic cartoons and animated characters. Everyone has a favorite cartoon; it is a universally loved art form. We are thrilled to bring those smiles and memories back to TV with MeTV Toons.”

Sabin added in an executive briefing on Wednesday: “The cartoons offered are going to help make this be the greatest animation network ever. Everybody has a favorite cartoon — just just think about the cartoons that you watched when you were younger and the nice warm, fuzzy feelings that they bring back. We’re going to bring those back to people every day in the MeTV way of doing things and this network is going to appeal to all ages and advertisers. It’s going to be multi-studio, multi-platform and multi-generational. It’s MeTV Toons, and it’s going to be really special.”

As part of the channel launch, animation historian Jerry Beck (whose books include “The 50 Greatest Cartoons,” “The Hanna-Barbera Treasury” and “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Bros. Cartoons”) will help produce original content related to the MeTV Toons library. Also, character actor Bob Bergen — who has voiced Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian and more, will serve as the signature voice announcer for MeTV Toons.

MeTV Toons will be available for distribution on over-the-air broadcast television, traditional and virtual operators, along with a complimentary offering for ad-supported streaming services. Besides MeTV and MeTV Toons, other Weigel networks include Heroes & Icons, Start TV, Catchy Comedy, Movies!, Story Television, Dabl and MeTV+.

“Neal and the team at Weigel have been long-standing and innovative licensing partners of Warner Bros. content for decades,”, said David Decker, president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement. “Having some of the Studio’s most iconic animated characters all available in one place is not only great for fans of classic animation, but also just super fun.”

Disney And Warner Bros. Discovery To Rollout Bundled Disney+ And Max Streamer

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The companies are aiming to launch the bundle this summer. The exact launch date and the price point have not yet been announced, but plans call for both ad-free and ad-supported versions to be available.

The move creates the first cross-company partnership for any of the top-tier services to come to market as the race to catch up with Netflix began in earnest about five years ago. It follows years of speculation and public musings by top executives about when bundling across the industry might reduce friction and begin to make streaming more cost-efficient for programmers and consumers alike. Pay-TV operators long served as third-party bundlers in the cable age, but while distribution deals with the likes of Roku and Amazon are key to any streaming service gaining traction, it’s mostly every-app-for-itself in the streaming era.

Churn, the industry term for the number of canceled subscriptions in a given period, has been a nagging problem for media companies. For decades, they had grown accustomed to the far more stable patterns of pay-TV, which was built on a foundation of long-term contracts and physical equipment. In the realm of direct-to-consumer internet businesses, a tap of an app can vaporize revenue, one of the many reasons why companies have been looking more closely at bundling, especially with cord-cutting ravaging their pay-TV network holdings.

Viewers, meanwhile, complain of a dizzying landscape of apps and titles filling their screens, making the simple act of finding something to watch a grueling process. The “endless scroll” of Netflix and later imitators has amplified Bruce Springsteen’s fabled lament about “57 channels and nothin’ on.”

Within companies, synergistic bundling has been commonplace for several years, with Disney in the vanguard with its successful troika of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Many players are taking the next step and more fully consolidating services. Max last year rebranded from HBO Max and added Discovery+ programming. Disney has been steadily bringing its flanker services into closer alignment with flagship Disney+, adding a Hulu tile to Disney+ earlier this year and planning an ESPN one later this year.

In yet another sign of the times, Paramount+ and Showtime’s streaming service fully merged in 2023. Paramount Global’s recent travails and efforts to finalize a potential merger have also been accompanied by speculation that Paramount+ would be ripe for the kind of bundle announced by Disney and WBD. Comcast and Paramount had held talks about a Peacock-P+ combo, but those discussions reportedly faltered due to disputes over control.

Disney, despite rolling up all of Hulu in a buyout of Comcast’s one-third stake in recent months, has shown increased interest in joint ventures. It recently teamed with Fox Corp. and WBD on a sports-focused streaming bundle. That still-unnamed service, nicknamed “Spulu,” is due to launch this fall.

Brands to be showcased in the new Disney-WBD bundle include ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight and Warner Bros. The new offering will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.

“On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value,” said Joe Earley, President, Direct to Consumer, Disney Entertainment. “This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.”

“This new offering delivers for consumers the greatest collection of entertainment for the best value in streaming, and will help drive incremental subscribers and much stronger retention,” said JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Offering this unprecedented entertainment value for fans across all the complimentary genres these three services offer, presents a powerful new roadmap for the future of the industry.”

Albtraum Comic (PDF)

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BabyTV Is Adding Four New Original Shows To Its 2024 Lineup

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Disney-owned BabyTV, which runs 24/7 commercial-free programming for babies and toddlers, is adding four new original series to its 2024 lineup.

First up on June 3 is Bug ‘N’ Play (30 x five minutes), a 2D-animated series about three bug friends (pictured) who learn to problem-solve while playing with forgotten toys in their yard.

Launching on August 5 is a 30 x five-minute show called Travelers, featuring a mix of live action and animation. In each episode, human hosts Perry and Harley demonstrate how life’s challenges can be overcome with humor and determination.

This will be followed on October 7 by My Robot & I (20 x five minutes), a CG-animated series showcasing the positive relationship between a curious girl and her new robotic companion.

And finally, Olly (30 x five minutes) is due out on November 4, with CG-animated episodes about a playful monkey who learns valuable lessons and problem-solving skills through fun role-play situations with his friends.

All four shows will launch globally on BabyTV’s linear channel first, and then roll out a month later on the BabyTV app. Streaming dates on Disney+ are TBD for now.

The BabyTV linear channel is available in more than 80 countries worldwide, and content on the app is dubbed into 18 languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese Brazil, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch and Norwegian.

Press Release: Disney Jr's Ariel Premieres This June Across Africa

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Disney Branded Television announced the premiere date for the highly anticipated animated musical series “Disney Jr.’s Ariel.” Inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” the series will debut on SATURDAY, 29 JUNE, on Disney Junior at 8:30 a.m. CAT on DStv, Channel 309. Additionally, new recurring cast members were announced, including Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches.

To help build excitement for “Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” it was also announced that a new series of shorts titled “Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales” will be featured across Disney Jr. beginning Monday, 24 June. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel’s life in Atlantica.

Set in the Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica, the series follows young mermaid princess Ariel (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as she embarks on underwater adventures with her family and friends, including King Triton (Taye Diggs), Ursula (Amber Riley), Flounder (Gracen Newton) and mer-friends Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).

Each episode highlights themes of self-expression, curiosity and resourcefulness and celebrates the multicultural elements of the Caribbean through food, fashion, language and folklore. Dr. Patricia Saunders, professor of English and hemispheric Caribbean studies and director of graduate studies at the University of Miami, serves as cultural consultant on the series.

In addition to Brown as Aquatica, Villaseñor as Navi, and Funches as Delfino, the series recurring cast includes Kevin Michael Richardson as Sebastian, Parvesh Cheena as Ravi, Danni Washington as Tantie Chantale, Alanna Ubach as Cristina Cuttles, and Dana Heath and Jessica Mikayla as Ariel’s twin sisters Ayanna and Alanna, respectively.

Music plays an integral role in the series, with original songs inspired by the diverse genres of Caribbean music. The acclaimed songwriting teams are comprised of Anthony M. Jones (Tone), Sofia Quinn, Olivia Waithe, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemarie Tan. EmmyⓇ Award winner Christopher Willis serves as composer. Sean Skeete, dean of the Professional Performance division at Berklee College of Music, is the Caribbean music consultant.

“Disney Jr.’s Ariel” is executive produced by Lynne Southerland and is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Jr.

Skydance’s Proposed Deal With Paramount Global Appears To Be Falling Apart

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After months of M&A talks, Paramount Global and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone might be going it alone after all — for now.

Insiders tell that the expectation at the company is that neither of the two offers in play — Skydance Media-RedBird Capital Partners and Sony Pictures Entertainment-Apollo Global Management — will come to fruition. And Redstone is said to have reluctantly concluded that a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, a longtime partner of Paramount Pictures, will not be possible.

As of Friday morning, the special committee established by Paramount Global’s board to evaluate M&A proposals had not notified Skydance one way or the other about its best and final offer, which would involve Skydance acquiring Redstone’s National Amusements Inc. and merging Skydance and Paramount Global, per a source familiar with the talks. The exclusive negotiating window between Skydance and the Paramount Global board’s special committee established to review M&A offers is set to expire at midnight Friday.

Meanwhile, the Paramount board’s special committee will review the joint Sony-Apollo offer, floating a $26 billion all-cash buyout premium, after the May 3 expiration of the Skydance negotiating window. But that may be so the board fulfills its fiduciary duty to consider all credible M&A proposals. Insiders expect the proposal to ultimately be a deal-breaker, given anticipated regulatory hurdles required to complete such a transaction.

Moreover, Redstone — who has final say-so over what deal to accept — is known to be loath to sell her family’s media company to a private-equity-backed buyer. Those familiar with Redstone’s thinking say she remains open to any deal that’s in the best interests of shareholders and that she supports the Paramount special committee’s review of the Sony-Apollo overture. That said, the Sony-Apollo offer appears more attractive to Paramount Global’s Class B (nonvoting) shareholders than the Skydance deal. If the Sony-Apollo offer is deemed unworkable, the most likely outcome is that Paramount Global will not proceed on either front given the threat of investor legal action were the company to move forward with Skydance.

Reps for Paramount Global, Skydance and National Amusements have declined to comment, as has a spokesman for the Paramount board’s special committee reviewing M&A offers. Reps for Apollo and Sony have not responded to requests for comment.

The situation remains fluid, and no definitive decisions have been made about Paramount or Redstone’s next moves.

But if the M&A talks are abandoned, Paramount Global would indeed be run for the foreseeable future by the three-headed “Office of the CEO” — CBS’s George Cheeks, Paramount Pictures’ Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, head of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks — after Bob Bakish was shown the door. The trio have told employees they’re prepping a “long-term plan” for Paramount Global. As part of cutting the company’s debt load, insiders speculate that strategic plan might include selling BET Media Group (which media mogul Byron Allen has expressed interest in acquiring) and the famed 62-acre Paramount Pictures Studio lot on Melrose Avenue in L.A. The go-forward strategy might also see the company try to combine the Paramount+ streaming service with NBCUniversal’s Peacock in some way.

At this point, Paramount Global is preparing “to go it alone,” LightShed Partners analysts Rich Greenfield, Brandon Ross and Mark Kelley speculated in a blog post Friday. “While Skydance could come back later in 2024 or next year, we sense National Amusements sees too many legal headaches with proceeding, given the special committee’s view of the proposed transaction.”

Regarding the Sony-Apollo bid, the LightShed analysts noted, “National Amusements does not want to see a breakup of the company and can stop any transaction they do not desire.” They suggested that regulatory approval of such a deal, given restrictions on studio and TV station consolidation and foreign ownership, would take at least 12 months “and potentially far longer if the administration turns over in November.”

Skydance Media Exclusive Talks With Paramount Global Conclude As Apollo And Sony Make Bid To Acquire The Company

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Skydance Media is prepared to walk away from its offer for Paramount Global unless it receives a firm commitment from controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, following the latest offer from Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The exclusivity window for discussions between David Ellison's Skydance, backed by private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR, and Paramount ends Friday and won't be extended, people familiar with the matter mentioned Paramount shares rose following the report.

The consortium has been waiting for word from Paramount's special committee on whether the panel will recommend its bid to acquire the company to Redstone. Now, with Apollo and Sony formally expressing interest in acquiring the company for about $26 billion, the Skydance group is looking for Redstone to reaffirm her commitment to the deal.

The Skydance consortium is not keen to hang around to be a stalking horse offer for Apollo and Sony, one of the people said. Still, depending on what Redstone says, Ellison may be willing to work with her, a second person said.

Spokespeople for Skydance, Redstone's National Amusements and Paramount's special committee declined to comment on Friday.

Apollo and Sony made their latest offer Thursday, CNBC previously reported. The special committee is currently considering the bid, the people said.

As part of Skydance's latest deal on the table, Redstone may take less than $2 billion for her controlling stake in Paramount, which is lower than Skydance's initial offer. The consortium is contributing additional capital to pay common, Class B shareholders at a nearly 30% premium to the undisturbed trading price of about $11 per share. In total, Redstone and Skydance would contribute $3 billion, with the vast majority going to Class B shareholders, according to people familiar with the matter.

Skydance's valuation as part of the deal remains around $5 billion, the people said. It's unclear if the Apollo-Sony offer gives Redstone the same premium.

Previously, Redstone rejected an offer by Apollo in favor of exclusive talks with Skydance. Redstone has preferred a deal that would keep Paramount together, as Skydance's offer would. A private equity firm is likely to break up the company.