WB Rises From the Dead Online

The WB Network is coming back to life.

Warner Bros. Television Group is launching TheWB.com, calling it “a premium, ad-supported, video-on-demand, interactive and personalized network.” The company is also launching KidsWB.com (formerly T-Works), aimed at kids 6–12.

The company also announced ad partners Mattel, McDonald’s and Johnson & Johnson. Distribution partners will start with Comcast Cable, Fancast.com, AOL, a number of mobile carriers, and many more, the company said. Plus, it’s tied in with Facebook.

WB began with limited programming in 1995 and was folded into the CW, the CBS/Warner Bros. joint effort, in September 2006.

“These destinations are perfect examples of our digital strategy to create targeted, niche destinations that present a fresh and compelling point of view to audiences,” said WBTVG President Bruce Rosenblum. “In much the same way TMZ has, these initiatives enable us to create new brands and reimagine existing ones for a multiplatform playing field. They are complementary to our thriving traditional business and share the same vision of original episodic storytelling.”

Scheduled to Beta launch in early May with a wide launch planned for the end of August, TheWB.com will target adults 16–34 and feature the re-release of a collection of the WB Network’s most popular series and other successful programming, as well as original series.

KidsWB.com marks the first time that characters from across the Warner libraries—including Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics—have been assembled in a single online destination where they can interact with their next generation of fans, the company said. It will also offer more than 100 animation-themed games.

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