The Boomerang App Calls It a Day

Between the launch of MeTV Toons and a seemingly never-ending line of titles coming to Blu-Ray, the last few months have been pretty kind to Hanna-Barbera enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the news I report today is anything but. Effective September 30th of this year, the Boomerang app, which Turner launched in 2017, will be a thing of the past. And before you ask, no, this has no impact on the Boomerang TV channel.

In case you've never heard of it (which I think will be many of you, as Warner hasn't acknowledged it in years), the Boomerang app was exactly what it sounds like. For five bucks a month, viewers were treated to a bevy of Warner Brothers, MGM, Hanna-Barbera, and Cartoon Network titles. Basically, it was everything you'd want to watch on Boomerang, but couldn't, as it wasn't airing on the channel at the time of launch. It was a fine streaming service, but it rarely ever saw new titles added. The day-one content was nearly indistinguishable from what's available now. Considering how ignored it is by Warner, as well as how obsessed they are with cutting costs, I'm honestly surprised it took this long.

Though the Boomerang app is no more, they promise that a lot of the content will migrate to HBO Max (or Max, as they insist on calling it now). Some of it also appears to be headed to Hulu, as this last week saw The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Josie and the Pussycats all debut on the service. Though it's nice to see these titles make their way to more accessible services, I am a little bummed to see this app join the streaming service graveyard. It was far from perfect, and I haven't been subscribed in years, but I don't think we'll ever see another streaming service with so many titles from these studios. I couldn't see Netflix or even Warners' own HBO Max carry all those direct-to-DVD Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry titles, for example.

Farewell to the Boomerang app. Say hi to Quibi for me. Actually, does anyone even remember that service?