In a seismic shift for the media industry, major players like Disney, Comcast, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are accelerating the dismantling of their cable TV portfolios, signaling what many analysts are calling the twilight of traditional cable television. As cord-cutting continues to erode subscriber bases and advertisers redirect budgets to streaming platforms, companies are either shutting down or spinning off their cable networks, raising questions about the future of the medium that defined entertainment for decades.
Warner Bros. Discovery recently announced the closure of several HBO-branded linear cable channels, including HBO Family, ThrillerMax, MovieMax, and OuterMax, effective August 2025, as confirmed by Spectrum. This follows their earlier termination of Boomerang in 2024, reflecting a broader strategy to streamline operations and prioritize their streaming service, Max, which boasts over 117 million paid subscribers globally as of June 2025. WBD is also splitting its business into two entities by mid-2026: one focused on streaming and studios, led by CEO David Zaslav, and another, Global Networks, housing cable channels like CNN, TBS, and TNT, under CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. This restructuring hints at potential sales or mergers, with speculation of a tie-up with Comcast’s cable spinoff, Versant.
Comcast, meanwhile, has taken decisive steps to offload most of its NBCUniversal cable networks, including Universal Kids, CNBC, and MSNBC, into Versant, a new publicly traded company. Unlike WBD, Comcast is retaining key networks like NBC, Bravo, and Telemundo, but the move underscores the declining profitability of cable. Universal Kids, a niche children’s channel, is among those facing shutdown, unable to compete in a market dominated by streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+.
Disney is also pivoting aggressively toward streaming, having shuttered channels like Disney Channel and FX in various global markets. Recent reports indicate Disney and Hearst are exploring the sale of A+E Global Media, which includes A&E and History Channel, as these linear networks struggle with shrinking ad revenues and subscriber losses. Disney’s focus on Disney+ and Hulu, which together have 181 million subscribers, reflects a broader industry trend: in 2025 Comcast, Spectrum, and others are expected to lose 4 million subscribers.
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