WildBrain Studios and Apple TV+'s exclusive deal left a sour taste in Peanuts fans' mouths after the holiday specials were pulled from network television. As a response, fans launched an online petition for their broadcast TV return.
The Change petition was launched by Peanuts fan Michael Neebia last week. "For over 50 years, we have celebrated the holidays with the airings of the Peanuts holiday specials on TV - first on CBS, then on ABC", Neebia wrote. "To our shock and dismay, last night it was announced that Apple had swiped the football from us and claimed the specials for their Apple TV platform, leaving us devoted fans who have grown up with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang in the dark, unable to watch."
The petition uses the hashtag #AppleHatesTradition to bring attention to the fanbase's cause. Neebia expressed the seriousness of the campaign by writing, "Win or lose, we are telling Apple and Wildbrain Studios that we will not fall for their corporate greed. But our goal is to get our Peanuts back on television and bring back the tradition!"
The petition's genesis was the aftermath of WildBrain striking an exclusive rights deal with Apple TV+ for all Charlie Brown-related content, including the holiday specials. The deal resulted in no specials airing on network television for the first time since A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered in 1965.
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is available to stream now and will be available for free from Oct. 30 until Nov. 1. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will also begin streaming for subscribers on Nov. 18 and will be available for free on Nov. 25-Nov. 27. A Charlie Brown Christmas will stream exclusively on Apple TV+ on Dec. 4 and is freely available from Dec. 11-Dec. 13.
Source: Change