YTV's New Groove

If you've been following the business side of things, you will recall that Corus Entertainment now owns 100% of Teletoon Canada Inc, which includes the eponymous flagship network, on the condition that YTV's programing does not overlap with Teletoon or any of it's sisters.

As a result, YTV has begun airing Teletoon's past original programming, which doesn't really help fulfill that condition. The only thing that this accomplishes is giving YTV some decent shows to air, since YTV hasn't done that in years. On a less sarcastic note, it also helps to replace YTV's outdated preschool block. Betweeen Treehouse, Disney Junior, BBC Kids, TVO Kids, and even Kids' CBC, there really is no room for another outlet for preschool programming, all the more reason why Teletoon abandoned such programming years earlier.

On another front, Teletoon began airing YTV's anime series as well as Power Rangers. While this is VERY good news for Teletoon and it's viewers, this is a sign YTV's, and Corus', treatment of anime has gotten worse since end of Bionix in 2010. It used be that, kid-friendly anime, such as Pokemon, gets top billing. But now, even new titles, like Digimon Fusion and B-Daman Crossfire, get ZERO promotion. You could make the excuse that the Pokemon anime hasn't been good since 4Kids stopped dubbing it and YTV's acknowledging this. But Digimon? Come on!

As for Power Rangers, there isn't much to say. Teletoon has been airing live-action programming for as long as I can remember. You didn't notice this because it was mostly in the form of movies related to animation and comics or shows (and movies) that were decent in their own right, as least compared to CNReal's content. Power Rangers is no exception, and in fact, there is a very cultural connection between it and rest of YTV's anime roster. Of course, don't expect Teletoon to air something like Dragon Ball Kai anytime soon.

When all is said and done, these plays by Corus Entertainment proves a theory that I and many people have had about YTV for while. Teletoon - and to the same extent, Cartoon Network, Disney XD and The Hub (R.I.P) - has something YTV doesn't have: maturity. In recent years, kids networks have been targeting older audiences; teenagers for Disney XD, families for The Hub, and adults for..., well, take a guess. YTV, on the other hand, has been targeting the same immature audience that are more likely to think the average YouTube celebrity is a laugh riot.

Really, the only thing remotely attractive about YTV these days, aside from certain Nickelodeon shows, are the promos done by that voice guy (God, bless him). Yes, it's a kids network, but it doesn't have to treat it's viewers like morons.