Disney Channel Loses Opportunity at New Mr. Bean Episodes

New episodes of the ‘Mr. Bean’ animated series are now airing on Boomerang and Cartoon Network instead of long-time home Disney Channel. (Photo credit: Endemol)

‘Mr. Bean’ has some new episodes coming.

That’s right, new episodes of the animated series are now making their way to Filipino viewers, just in time for the franchise’s 25th anniversary. However, the said episodes are not airing on Disney Channel as they usually do.

Instead, it was Boomerang and Cartoon Network who made the new episodes available. The former began airing ‘Mr. Bean’ in June, with the latter following suit.

For many years, the cable television rights to ‘Mr. Bean’ in the Philippines belonged to Disney Channel. The station aired not only the animated series, but also the live-action series, as well as the movies ‘Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie’ and ‘Mr. Bean’s Holiday’.

But with Disney Channel unable to secure the rights to new episodes of the animated series, their long-time grip on the franchise appears to be slipping away. That said, losing out on new episodes of ‘Mr. Bean’ proved to be another big blow for the said channel, much like what happened when Cartoon Network beat them out for new episodes of ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’.

Disney Channel’s loss is now Boomerang and Cartoon Network’s gain. It’s another opportunity lost for the said channel, whose programming remains diluted in comparison to its rivals.

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In 100 Words: Something’s Wrong with Oggy

‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’ switched networks again this year. The French silent animated comedy found a new home in Nickelodeon Asia after a two-year run on Cartoon Network Asia.

Once ‘Oggy’ premiered on Nickelodeon, however, there was one problem. The opening and closing credits were produced for the third season (2008-09), but the episodes were from the first season (1998-99).

This was not the case when Cartoon Network and even Disney Channel Asia aired ‘Oggy’ in the Philippines. The credits and episodes would always be consistent to one another when they air it.

That said, the error on ‘Oggy’ is definitely a major dilemma for Nickelodeon. What happens next once the other seasons of ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’ were aired on Nickelodeon, especially the most recent one shot in HD television? That will only make things difficult for the orange network.