DirecTV is in the process of bringing Weigel Broadcasting’s retro cartoon channel MeTV Toons to its satellite and streaming platforms, The Desk has learned.
The channel will occupy the slot vacated by Comcast’s Universal Kids, which shut down in March. A handful of DirecTV satellite customers noticed MeTV Toons appear in their electronic program guides earlier this week, though no programming was actually available on the service.
A source familiar with the matter told The Desk that MeTV Toons should launch on DirecTV’s satellite and streaming platforms over the next few weeks, though a specific date isn’t yet known. DirecTV already offers a handful of other Weigel-owned channels, including the flagship MeTV network.
DirecTV will be the first traditional pay TV service to give MeTV Toons national clearance since it launched last year. Streaming services Frndly TV and Philo offer a national feed of the channel through their online platforms, and some cable TV providers offer a local feed of the network in some cities where MeTV Toons is also available on broadcast TV.
MeTV Toons is built from a Saturday morning cartoon block that started airing on MeTV several years ago. The channel offers classic cartoons from Warner Bros Discovery, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony’s Columbia Pictures.
