When Toonami started out, DeMarco literally tried to hide the schedule until the shows aired. Like he was embarrassed or something. Anime Superjail did OK ratings wise, but Casshern Sins...ooow. That bombed something fierce.
But yeah, even the revival of the block had television in a much different place. I could complain about not getting Yamato 2199 but as it stands, this is not all self inflicted.
Television and the way we consume it has fundamentally changed.