TCM Acquires Looney Tunes Library in 6 Year Deal

[JamesG]

TCM Becomes “Ongoing Home” of the Looney Tunes Library (Exclusive)
by Mike Barnes
January 26, 2026


Big news just in from the folks at the Acme Corporation: TCM has become “the ongoing television home” of the iconic Looney Tunes library from Warner Bros.

In late 2022, HBO Max eliminated 256 Looney Tunes shorts from 1950-2004 when its license expired and the streaming arm of Warner Bros. Discovery chose not to renew it, Vulture reported.

Last year, another 255 shorts produced from 1930-1949 were excised.




But on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. PT, the prized animated films — more than 750 in all — will begin running on WBD cable channel TCM as part of a new six-year deal. It all starts with the Oscar-nominated, Tex Avery-directed A Wild Hare (1940), the Merrie Melodies short that’s considered the first “official” Bugs Bunny cartoon.

“By making TCM an ongoing home for this iconic library, we’re able to present these cartoons with the care they deserve, alongside the classic films they helped influence,” Charlie Tabesh, TCM senior vp programming and content strategy, said in a statement.




Forty-five shorts featuring the rascally rabbit — TCM’s Star of the Month! — will screen through Feb. 7, and a curated selection of related full-length features will follow in yet another example of the thoughtful programming for which TCM is known.

So, Rabbit of Seville (1950)
What’s Opera Doc (1957)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Tortoise Beats Hare (1941)
Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943)
Rabbit Transit (1947)
Walk, Don’t Run (1966)
Apes of Wrath (1959)
King Kong (1933)
Buccaneer Bunny (1948)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1950)
Captain Hareblower (1954)
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Bugsy and Mugsy (1957)
The Unmentionables (1963)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
A Witch’s Tangled Hare (1959)
Hamlet (1948)




The shorts, also featuring Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote and other beloved characters, will continue to show up on the channel beyond February, with select titles branded as TCM Premieres.

The new deal “ensures these cartoons are celebrated, contextualized and accessible to audiences of all ages,” TCM notes.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv...me-1236483173/

[stevea]

Additional details from the Extras podcast. We also find out at the end, whether or not this is an exclusive deal; that is, will Looney Tunes still be on MeTV, MeTV Toons, and Tubi?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OpCXJD3jkY

And, an addtional article from Animation Scoop, which could be the same press release as Hollywood Reporter, above.

https://animationscoop.com/41847-2/

[cd637299]

I tell ya….if Weigel loses the WB library, it could effectively kill MeTV Toons AND Toon In with Me.

Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies are the staple of both. Have they been run into the ground? Sure—but with over 900 cartoons, Weigel needs these. Besides, there are no funnier cartoons than WB.

cd

[stevea]

Originally Posted by cd637299

I tell ya….if Weigel loses the WB library, it could effectively kill MeTV Toons AND Toon In with Me.

Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies are the staple of both. Have they been run into the ground? Sure—but with over 900 cartoons, Weigel needs these. Besides, there are no funnier cartoons than WB cd

Minus the around 140 post-1935 cartoons (i.e. not counting Buddy and Bosko, for example) they don't show.

At the end of the podcast, Tim says he has checked with Warner--and the Looney Tunes will still be on the Weigel networks and Tubi streaming. So TCM doesn't have an exclusive.

[cd637299]

Good deal.

cd