But, what led to this channel's eventual death? For a lot of people, this wasn't completely unexpected. The company has never exactly been a ratings giant throughout its four year run, despite, again, one exception with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. But after just a mere four year run, it's quitting time already? What killed the channel, and why couldn't it ever find its footing in the kids network battle? Well, I've broken it down to five reasons. These aren't too detailed, but they are quick thoughts on why the channel never succeeded.
#1. Not enough interesting original programs
In four years on the air, it's hard to really count on both hands how many original Hub shows aired that left any form of lasting impact. There was Dan Vs., a show that was cut way too soon, Transformers Prime: one of the stronger Transformers cartoons in recent memory (Rescue Bots is so-so), R.L Stine's "The Haunting Hour" series (Which considering the network also aired Goosebumps was a great addition), Littlest Pet Shop (which is oft considered a sister show to MLP due to the studio behind it), The Aquabats Super Show, game shows like Family Game Night and The Game of Life, and then the cash cow of the network, My Little Pony. There are other shows, but in the end, they're far more forgettable, stuff like Kid President, or Parents Just Don't Understand.
Everything else was pretty much old sitcoms, or old cartoon shows. Though granted, some of those old cartoons included Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures. Both of which are still awesome, but I'd argue hold up better for older audiences than they do for modern kids, since they're both drenched in early 90's pop culture. As for the sitcoms, I'm not knocking them, but shows like Sister Sister or Blossom haven't exactly been remembered as fondly as other sitcoms like Saved By the Bell, or Full House. Also, I remember when they were advertising that they were airing Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. Ew.
The movie list was pretty sparse as well. I mean, when you're airing The Nightmare Before Christmas in May, then you've really defeated the purpose of the film entirely. That, and clearly you don't have as many movies as you should.
I think that the lack of strong original programs, and even a better variety of stronger shows on rotation were definitely one of the bigger factors in the death of the Hub.
#2. Bigger competition
Simple reason here. Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Disney were running the kids TV game for years before Hasbro and Discovery tried to step foot. And since these channels for the most part have always provided better variety in shows (Nickelodeon you could argue on that), many of which have become massive successes, it really never gave the Hub the time it needed to develop.
#3. The Network's Availability
Another simple reason. Not enough cable providers picked the network up. In fact, I constantly hear from fans of MLP that they don't get the Hub in their packages. This means the dream viewer base could never get to where the channel needed, and that's less their fault and more the cable providers who turned the channel down.
#4. People only watched for Ponies, and nothing else
This is more exaggerated, but it does hold a lot of truth to it. The only show that proved any form of mainstream success was Friendship is Magic. Hell, it turned out to be a bigger success than even Hasbro had expected, as it gained the admiration of a completely different demographic as planned. The Lauren Faust created reboot became a hit with kids and adults (Many being men), and even in reruns is the highest rated show on the network. As for anything else, not so much.
And that's really a problem in the grand scheme of things, and goes back to the lack of quality original content statement. Friendship is Magic turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. Yes, it gained ratings and popularity, but it didn't bring people in to stay for the rest of the network's offerings. Hell, go to any facebook post by the hub that isn't about My Little Pony, and almost every post is littered about ponies. Not to mention the show's easy accessibility online makes it easier for people who even have the hub initially to just cut the middleman out altogether, which is a big shame, and makes Hasbro's copyright battles more justified.
I'm certainly not knocking the Brony community on this, but you can definitely see how these actions could lead to doing more harm than good for the people who provide the ponies they love so much.
#5. The channel took too long to progress
And the biggest issue I have, one that ties in to a lot of this is that the Hub never evolved. From 2010 to 2014 it has always felt like the same channel, never truly evolving or changing its game as time went on. And for any network, especially in the 2010s, that's not particularly wise. This isn't the eighties, an era where the kids network concept was still fresh, and where channels like even Nickelodeon wouldn't truly evolve with stronger original content until the early nineties, things now have to remain fresh and interesting to keep up in an always changing cable industry. And for the Hub, whose biggest change in four years was a logo update, it was too little too late. And it seemed like people realized that too soon, as original CEO Margaret Loesch jumped off the sinking ship, and it pretty much felt like the end was in sight.
And that's where we are now. Come October 13th, the four year run of the Hub Network will come to a close. And in the end, it will be a shame. So, here's to you Hub Network. You may have been around for a short amount of time, but it was a fun run.