Current Logo (2014 - present)
Discovery Family is a cable TV channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and toy company Hasbro. The programming is currently split into 12-hour halves, with Hasbro programming on one half and Discovery programming on the other.
The channel originally launched as Discovery Kids on 7 October 1996, and was rebranded The Hub (later Hub Network from 2013–2014) on 10 October 2010. It was again rebranded as Discovery Family on 13 October 2014.
History[]
The Hub[]
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot in front of The Hub logo.
The Hub was a cable TV channel was first introduced in 2010 that replaced the former Discovery Kids channel following an acquisition from Hasbro. Its programming is based around a dual audience, showing children's programming during the day, and programming for general audiences at night. It is noted for including reruns of classic TV shows that have never been broadcast for some time, though it is also known for its original programs such as Transformers: Prime, Dan Vs., and most notably, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Wakko's Wish was broadcast on the channel in November 2012 as part of the "Hub Family Movie". Voice actor Jess Harnell reprised his role as Wakko in a promo for the film. The Hub later announced that they would be airing reruns of Animaniacs, starting with a four-hour marathon on 24 December and the show officially joining the network's lineup on 7 January 2013. Special dialogue was provided by Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, and Jess Harnell for the promos announcing the show's inclusion. Tiny Toon Adventures joined the lineup on 1 July 2013.
Discovery Family[]
Discovery Communications would later reacquire rights to the channel by early 2014. On 13 October 2014, Hub Network was defunct and rebranded to Discovery Family after failing to gain enough viewers with competition such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Tiny Toon Adventures was the only Looney Tunes-related program that carried over to the new channel, airing weekday mornings at 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET. Animaniacs was initially scheduled to continue broadcasting on Discovery Family but got pulled from the lineup before launch. Tiny Toon Adventures left the programming lineup on 27 June 2015, resulting in the total removal of all WB cartoons from Discovery Family.
In April 2022, WarnerMedia acquired the channel through the merger with Discovery Inc. On 1 and 6 May 2023, Baby Looney Tunes and The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries started rerunning on the channel, respectively. On 4 December, the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts joined the lineup, using restored prints from previous home media sets and HBO Max. Baby Looney Tunes was removed from Discovery Family on 31 May 2024.
Notes[]
- It was rumored that Pinky and the Brain would debut on the channel in fall of 2014, but it never happened before or after the channel rebranded as Discovery Family.