Warner TV Next
A French pay-television channel operated and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery France, offering animated and live-action entertainment for teenagers and young adults.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Warner TV Next is a French television channel operated and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery France, itself part of Warner Bros. Discovery International. The service is the successor to the French Toonami channel and forms part of the broader Warner TV franchise used across several international markets. The channel began broadcasting in France on 11 February 2016 under the Toonami name. Its launch followed confirmation of the French service in early February and extended the Toonami brand beyond its original United States programming-block identity. In its first years, the French channel was primarily aimed at children and teenagers. Its schedule drew on animated entertainment associated with the Toonami proposition and used visual branding derived from the Toonami identity introduced by the original U.S. block in 2004. Some promotional material was adapted from branding used by the Southeast Asian Toonami feed. The service also developed a more mature evening proposition. Programming under the Toonami Unlimited label was presented with substantially less censorship and included selected series, live-action programming, and All Elite Wrestling events. On 24 July 2019, an Adult Swim block began airing nightly from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Central European Time. The evening offer subsequently incorporated additional live-action series and AEW Dynamite, broadening the channel beyond a conventional children’s-animation schedule. A major repositioning took place in September 2020. Toonami changed its branding and shifted its target audience toward teenagers and young adults. The channel also removed the previous daytime censorship approach from its programs, reinforcing a more mature editorial identity. On 14 September 2020, the service became available through StarTimes alongside an English-language African counterpart, giving the Toonami brand an additional distribution relationship beyond France. Distribution changed again in the early 2020s. Canal+ removed Toonami from its lineup on 10 January 2023 after negotiations over the renewal of Warner channels failed. Later that year, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the French service would be renamed Warner TV Next. The change took effect on 4 September 2023, aligning the channel with the Warner TV family already present in other European, Asian, and Latin American markets. The rebrand retained the channel’s role as a destination for animation and youth-oriented entertainment while placing it more clearly within Warner Bros. Discovery’s international Warner TV portfolio. Following the launch of HBO Max in France in June 2024, Warner TV Next was also made available through the streaming service to HBO Max subscribers. This added an on-demand distribution route to the channel’s television presence. Publicly available reference material does not identify a separate corporate headquarters, named founder, chief executive, or financial disclosure for Warner TV Next itself. The channel’s current identity and operations are therefore best understood as those of a Warner Bros. Discovery France television service rather than an independently incorporated consumer company.
History
Warner TV Next originated as the French version of Toonami, a brand associated with action-oriented animated programming. Warner Bros. Discovery operated the French service through Warner Bros. Discovery France, extending the Toonami identity into the French pay-television market. The launch was confirmed in February 2016, and the channel began broadcasting on 11 February of that year. During its first four years, the French service was oriented toward children and teenagers. Its visual identity was based on the Toonami logo introduced by the original U.S. programming block in 2004, and some of its promotional presentation drew on materials used for the Southeast Asian Toonami feed. The channel’s initial role was therefore closely connected to the international circulation of the Toonami brand, while its programming was adapted for the French market. The service gradually introduced a more mature schedule. Evening programming was presented under the Toonami Unlimited label and included programs with little or no censorship. The offering also included selected All Elite Wrestling events, despite those events not being produced by Warner Bros. Discovery. On 24 July 2019, a nightly Adult Swim block was added between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. CET. Live-action series and AEW Dynamite were later incorporated into the broader Toonami Unlimited schedule, giving the channel a stronger connection to adult-oriented genre and entertainment programming. In September 2020, Toonami underwent a significant editorial and visual repositioning. Its intended audience moved from children and younger teenagers toward teenagers and young adults. Programming was no longer subject to the previous daytime censorship approach, signaling a deliberate shift toward more mature content. On 14 September of the same year, the channel was added to StarTimes, where it was distributed alongside an English-language African counterpart. The service experienced a distribution setback in France when Canal+ dropped Toonami from its offering on 10 January 2023. The removal followed unsuccessful negotiations concerning the renewal of Warner channels. Later in June, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the French service would be renamed Warner TV Next. The new name took effect on 4 September 2023 and connected the channel to the Warner TV franchise already operating in several other international regions. The Warner TV Next identity preserved the channel’s role as a destination for animated, action-oriented, and youth-focused entertainment while reflecting its post-2020 emphasis on older viewers. The channel also gained a streaming distribution path after HBO Max launched in France in June 2024; Warner TV Next was subsequently made available to HBO Max subscribers. Available reference material does not provide a named founder, independent financial information, corporate headquarters, or a list of channel executives. The brand is consequently documented primarily through its programming, distribution history, audience repositioning, and relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery France.
- 2024
Streaming availability added
[1]Following HBO Max’s French launch, Warner TV Next becomes available to subscribers through the streaming service.
- 2023
Canal+ distribution ends
[1]Canal+ drops Toonami on 10 January after Warner channel renewal negotiations fail.
- 2023
Warner TV Next brand introduced
[1]The French Toonami service adopts the Warner TV Next identity on 4 September.
- 2020
Audience repositioning
[1]Toonami rebrands and shifts its target audience toward teenagers and young adults, with less censorship in daytime programming.
- 2020
StarTimes distribution begins
[1]The channel is added to StarTimes on 14 September, alongside an English-language African Toonami counterpart.
- 2019
Adult Swim block introduced
[1]A nightly Adult Swim block begins on 24 July, running from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. CET.
- 2016
French Toonami channel launches
[1]The service begins broadcasting in France on 11 February as Toonami, initially targeting children and teenagers.
Products and positioning
A French Warner Bros. Discovery entertainment channel positioned around animation, action-oriented programming, live-action series, and mature youth entertainment. Its editorial direction evolved from a children’s and teenage Toonami service into a channel focused more strongly on teenagers and young adults, with late-night Adult Swim programming and less-censored daytime content.
Television channel · 2023
Warner TV Next
The core French pay-television service. It evolved from Toonami France and now carries animated, live-action, action-oriented, and youth-oriented entertainment for a primarily teenage and young-adult audience. The channel is operated and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery France and is also available through HBO Max for subscribers in France.
Former channel identity · 2016
Toonami France
The predecessor identity used by the French service from its launch in 2016 until the Warner TV Next rebrand in September 2023. It began as a children’s and teenagers’ channel, later moving toward older viewers and incorporating Adult Swim, live-action series, and wrestling-related programming.
Programming block · 2019
Adult Swim block
A late-night programming block introduced on the French Toonami service in July 2019. It aired nightly from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. CET and formed part of the channel’s broader move toward mature audiences.
Programming block
Toonami Unlimited
An evening presentation associated with the former Toonami service. It carried programming with little or no censorship and later included live-action series and All Elite Wrestling content, including AEW Dynamite.
Brand decisions
2023
End Toonami distribution on Canal+OtherBackground
Negotiations concerning the renewal of Warner channels did not produce an agreement with Canal+.
Action taken
Canal+ removed Toonami from its lineup on 10 January 2023.
Aftermath
The service lost a French distribution outlet before its later rebranding as Warner TV Next.
2023
Rebrand Toonami France as Warner TV NextGeneration changeBackground
Warner Bros. Discovery sought to align the French service with the Warner TV franchise used in other international markets.
Action taken
The channel adopted the Warner TV Next name and branding on 4 September 2023.
Aftermath
The service continued its role as a Warner Bros. Discovery channel for animated and mature youth entertainment under a broader Warner TV identity.
2020
Reposition the channel for teenagers and young adultsStrategyBackground
The French Toonami service had initially been aimed at children and teenagers, but its programming had increasingly incorporated mature evening content and Adult Swim.
Action taken
In September 2020, the channel rebranded, moved its primary target toward teenagers and young adults, and removed the previous censorship approach from daytime programming.
Aftermath
The change established the mature editorial direction that preceded the later Warner TV Next identity.
Recent events
- 2024
Warner TV Next becomes available through HBO Max[1]
Product launch
After HBO Max launched in France in June 2024, Warner TV Next was made available through the service to HBO Max subscribers.
- 2023
Canal+ drops Toonami from its lineup[1]
Other
Canal+ removed Toonami on 10 January 2023 after negotiations concerning the renewal of Warner channels did not reach an agreement.
- 2023
Toonami France is replaced by Warner TV Next[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the French Toonami service would adopt the Warner TV Next name on 4 September 2023.
- 2020
Toonami shifts toward teenagers and young adults[1]
Product generation
A September 2020 rebrand changed Toonami’s target audience from children and younger teens toward teenagers and young adults, while reducing censorship of daytime programming.
- 2020
Toonami becomes available on StarTimes[1]
Other
On 14 September 2020, Toonami was added to StarTimes alongside its English-language African counterpart.
- 2019
Adult Swim block added to Toonami France[1]
Product launch
A nightly Adult Swim block began airing on 24 July 2019 from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. CET, expanding the channel’s mature-oriented programming.
- 2016
Toonami launches in France[1]
Product launch
The French Toonami television channel began broadcasting on 11 February 2016, initially targeting children and teenagers.
Sources2 sources
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