When the animated spinoff ends its five-year run, Lucasfilm owner Disney is expected to move the show to its Disney XD network. Read more here: The Clone Wars Likely to Leave Cartoon Network After This Season
Sounds like a lot of speculation to me, but I wouldn't blame them if they wanted to move it from Cartoon Network, especially after TCW was moved from its primetime slot.
Doesn't sound like a sound fact, it says they retain the rights through 2013, that would imply the beginning of Season 6 as well.
And it certainly wouldn't make sense to switch in the middle of a season. I think it's staying on CN for the foreseeable future.
I still think its way to early to speculate on a move to Disney XD. Disney purchasing Lucasfilm didn't just happen. Its been in the works for a long time. Cartoon Network won't just lose the rights just because anymore than Universal Studios in Florida had to get rid of their Marvel stuff when Disney bought them. They just revamps the Spiderman ride this summer there.
What happens to the Canadian viewers who don't have Cartoon Network, but have Teletoon? Will it move to the Family Channel orr?
The 2012-2013 counts up until the end of Season 5. They renew that contract each year after the end of each season so it runs from March 2012-March 2013 so no the current contract wouldn't include the start of Season 6. Remember its a broadcast season which runs from September to March/May, rather then from January 2012 to January 2013, so the contract for the rights to air the show will come up again after the end of Season 5. The team have probably got assurances that the show will continue regardless from Disney. I don't think the deal would have been done if Lucas couldn't have secured the long-term future for this show.
I hope it does! Cartoon Network are a horrible channel. They do not deserve to have TCW on their broadcast.
Perhaps Lucasfilm sought the Disney acquisition in part to light a fire under CN's ass. The threat of moving TCW to Disney XD or any of the other Walt Disney Company channels should motivate CN to market TCW better.
Well, the only thing the unnamed sources offered was that the yearly deals negotiated between LucasFilm and Cartoon Network runs out following the 2012-13 season. As the rest of the article is based purely on speculation, I say take it with a grain of salt. That said, while the meat of the article is speculative, it is based on informed speculation, as Disney definitely has stated their intention to utilize their television resources already at hand (Disney XD was specifically mentioned) and put Star Wars on their airwaves. With CN's contract running its course at the end of our current season, I certainly wouldn't be surprised by an announcement stating TCW will begin airing on Disney XD starting with Season 6. Additionally, I'd wager that if this does indeed come to pass, we can look for a Season 7 to follow (with possibly even more), as it would seem likely for Disney to hope to get more than a single season of 22 episodes out of any new arrangement. Speculation aside, QuangoFett may have hit the nail on the head and this could all play out to be a shrewd business tactic by The Mouse and LucasFilm, designed to extract concessions (rights fees/marketing, etc) from CN. Either way, I just hope for more quality Star Wars programming. Time will tell.
I'm not so sure since Disney's usual tactic when they want to take the rights for something is to really jack up prices.
I checked after the announcement on October 30th and I'm lucky that Time Warner Cable (at least where I live) already offers it and is currently pumping it straight into my television in glorious HD. Funny thing is, I never bothered to look before there was a chance that Star Wars may end up on it one day (in fact, I'd never heard of Disney XD before now) and now I'm glad it's there. Star Wars does funny things to me, I guess.
I've had Disney XD for a while, in HD even. I don't really watch the channel. I watched it just a couple of times to see if Gargoyles had been converted for HD.
