When HBO Max launched last week, it was perhaps assumed the biggest draws would be Friends, its many DC movies, Rick and Morty or the many great HBO shows like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. But one week in, there’s been a surprise winner: Looney Tunes and other kids shows are the most popular things on there, according to Bloomberg News.
This comes from a report by Parrot Analytics, which revealed that Looney Tunes Cartoons, the new incarnation of the classic IP, has proven the streamer’s top draw thus far. Second place went to The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, hosted by everyone’s favorite high-pitched-voiced Sesame Street staple.
Does this mean kids are doing the bulk of the watching? Not necessarily. Looney Tunes has always skewed broadly, appealing to children as well as adults (and not just to adults who watched them as kids). But it does suggest HBO Max — which was criticized by some for, if anything, having too much stuff from too many places, lacking a clear brand — may give Disney+ a run for its money as far as family friendly streamers go. Or perhaps, by having stuff for everyone, they’ll simply attract more subscribers.
Looney Tunes Cartoons is the umpteenth update of the brand, which has existed since in some form or another since 1930. About 200 of the classic era shorts, which played in front of movies up until the mid-1960s, are also available on the service, including such classics as Duck Amuck, The Rabbit of Seville, and One Froggy Evening. This newest iteration is divided into 10 episodes, each running about 12 minutes and featuring two shorts and a couple interstitials. They are also, perhaps surprisingly, quite good.
(Via Bloomberg News)
