Classic Looney Tunes Are Dominating Streaming For Free Now That They're Gone From HBO Max

As it turns out, that's not all, folks! (Yes, I know, I see low-hanging fruit, and I grab it.) Despite its storied legacy as a pioneer of animation and its beloved status in pop culture among fans, the "Looney Tunes" brand hasn't exactly been treated well over the last several years. Warner Bros. Discovery infamously made waves by banishing its already-made "Coyote vs Acme" to the ether as a tax write-off, a torturous saga that finally culminated with Ketchup Entertainment swooping in to acquire the film and giving it a 2026 release date. As if trying to outdo his own cartoonish villainy, CEO David Zaslav then went a step further and presided over the removal of all the original "Looney Tunes" shorts from HBO Max — the classics stretching from the 1930s to 1960s that made these characters a household name in the first place — in what we described at the time as nothing short of cultural vandalism at its most brazen.

But, like the Road Runner dodging everything that Wile E. Coyote can throw his way, the "Looney Tunes" simply refuse to go down without a fight. In an in-depth report, Vulture has revealed that the FAST platform (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) Tubi recently began hosting all of those vanished "Looney Tunes" shorts in addition to the ones it already had — and, what's more, viewers are flocking to these old-school cartoons in droves. Head of Acquisitions Samuel Harowitz spoke to the outlet directly, stating that, "On its own, 'Looney Tunes' is a huge win for us." In light of Warner Bros. falling asleep at the wheel, he went on to reassure fans:

"We are in active negotiations to ensure that Tubi can be the home of 'Looney Tunes' for quite a while. Likely years."

Who could've possibly foreseen that the "Looney Tunes" brand name still holds cachet and a broad appeal to audiences worldwide? Well, the answer to that would be pretty much everybody ... except, apparently, Warner Bros. Discovery (which is currently rumored to be inching closer to a reckless acquisition by Paramount). The flagship legacy studio's loss is Tubi's gain, however, as the ad-supported streamer is now reaping the benefits of hosting some of the most beloved cartoons ever made.

Vulture reports that "Looney Tunes" is ranking up views to the tune of entering Tubi's top 10 most-viewed shows, in terms of total viewing time. (While this is a nebulous and vague stat, admittedly, the fact that most of the franchise's content is in the form of half-hour or shorter runtimes speaks volumes.) As if that weren't impressive enough, the platform claims that the novelty also extends far beyond older viewers who were more likely to have grown up with these animated shows and movies. "Looney Tunes" carries cross-generational appeal and is allowing younger audiences to view these shorts in a similar way that their parents or grandparents once did. The Vulture report points out that Tubi has packaged various shorts into 30-minute episodes, recreating the experience of watching the originals on cable back in the day — complete with ad breaks. Where bigger-name competitors like Prime Video or Hulu tend to toss out commercials at the most jarring and unintuitive moments, Tubi does so with a dosage of consideration: in between specific shorts. What a concept!

While there always remains alternative ways to catch your favorite "Looney Tunes" cartoons, Tubi is now achieving what HBO Max refused to do — and doing so successfully.