A sale of The CW is being explored

[TMC]

Parent company of 2 Utah TV stations may buy a broadcast network

By Scott D. Pierce
| June 19, 2022, 6:00 a.m.

Two of Utah’s local TV stations may soon be owned by a company that owns a broadcast network, but neither station is being sold. It’s the network that’s for sale.

They’re still working on a deal, but don’t be surprised when the Nexstar Media Group announces that it’s buying The CW from Paramount Global (formerly known as ViacomCBS) and Warner Bros. Discovery. And Nexstar is the parent company of not just Utah’s CW affiliate, KUCW-Ch. 30, but also Utah’s ABC affiliate, KTVX-Ch. 4.

Nexstar has a lot of local stations. More than anybody else. It owns or operates 200 stations in 116 markets across the country — from the No. 2 market (Los Angeles) to the No. 197 market (San Angelo, Texas) — including the two Salt Lake City stations in the No. 30 market.

The Texas-based company has a reputation for being sort of a benevolent behemoth. Its local news operations don’t have a political bent, and its stations aren’t dictated to from company headquarters. That’s a decided contrast to the right-wing propaganda viewers of Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned or operated stations (including KUTV-Ch. 2, KJZZ-Ch. 14 and KMYU-Ch. 12 in Utah) have come to expect.

(Nexstar Media Group) The nation's largest owner of local TV stations is reportedly on the verge of buying The CW network.

Nexstar also has a reputation for being cheap. That comes as no surprise to viewers of KTVX’s newscasts on both Ch. 4 and Ch. 30, who can see that the “New 4 Utah” team is operating on a limited budget.

The company has poured a lot of money into its NewsNation cable channel. It acquired the cable channel, then known as WGN America, when it purchased Tribune Broadcasting in 2019, and has converted it into a cable news channel.

The plan was for NewsNation to compete with CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, which hasn’t exactly worked out yet. When WGN became NewsNation, ratings plummeted, and they’ve remained low. Nexstar has spent hundreds of millions of dollars for a prime-time audience that averages around 40,000 to 60,000 viewers.

To put that in perspective, the 10 p.m. newscast on Nexstar-owned KTLA-Ch. 5 in Los Angeles pulls in audiences that regularly exceed 100,000 viewers.

If, as expected, Nexstar buys The CW, local viewers won’t see any changes on Ch. 4. They won’t see any changes to the non-network part of Ch. 30′s schedule. They will, like viewers everywhere else, see changes to The CW’s schedule. Keep in mind Nexstar’s reputation for being tight with a dollar.

The fact is that The CW has lost money ever since it launched in 2006, a merger of sorts between The WB and UPN. It made economic sense for Warner Bros. and CBS as a platform for shows they produced, which were then sold to streamers, in syndication and internationally. That’s why The CW regularly renewed virtually all of its schedule, despite low ratings.

But that model no longer makes sense. Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each have their own streaming services, Paramount+ and HBO Max, respectively.

And the impending sale to Nexstar is why The CW broke with tradition and swung the ax on a lot of shows last month — canceling “Batwoman,” “Charmed,” “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Dynasty,” “The 4400,” “In the Dark,” “Legacies,” “Naomi” and “Roswell, New Mexico.” It also announced that the upcoming seventh season of “Riverdale” will be the last.

Nexstar isn’t going to pay for a lot of high-priced TV series. The future for The CW will feature fewer hourlong dramas and, potentially, fewer superhero shows. There will be more unscripted and/or reality shows and more foreign acquisitions. (It already has several, including “Family Law” and “Professionals.”) There might be half-hour comedies. There will probably be shows from studios other than Paramount and Warner Bros.

There won’t be as many big-budget productions. There will be shows that look and are, well, cheap.

And, come to think of it, local viewers might be affected by the sale of The CW to Nexstar. If the new owner can’t figure out a way to make money on the network — or, at least, break even — the “News 4 Utah” budget might get even tighter.

[TMC]

Nexstar Close to Deal to Buy Majority Stake in The CW (Report)

Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global are on the verge of selling majority stake in The CW

Brandon Katz | June 29, 2022 @ 3:46 PM

Several months after reports first surfaced that local television station owner Nextstar Media Group was interested in buying The CW network, it appears the company is close to acquiring a majority stake in the broadcast channel.

Nexstar is nearing a deal to acquire 75% of The CW, with parent companies Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining 12.5% ownership stakes, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Representatives for The CW, Nexstar, Paramount Global did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment; a rep for Warner Bros. Discovery had no comment.

Nexstar is expected to assume a majority of The CW’s current losses, which could amount to more than $100 million, per the outlet. While the deal is not yet done, an official pact could be reached in the next few weeks.

Nexstar is said to be planning to acquire shows from outside producers while Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery continue to create content for the broadcast network. Both parent companies will reportedly continue to receive revenue from previously established licensing agreements such as The CW’s ongoing relationship with Netflix.

Nexstar is the country’s largest broadcaster and already owns the majority of CW affiliate stations. Assuming operational control of the younger-skewing broadcast network, which often fails to turn a profit, would enable the company to reap the licensing rewards that come with selling content to streaming services and overseas buyers. Nexstar is expected to broaden The CW’s programming to appeal to older audiences, WSJ reported.

In 2019, Netflix and The CW ended its exclusive licensing pact as both parent companies looked to reclaim content for in-house streaming services Paramount + and HBO Max, respectively. However, The CW still licensed content on a case-by-case basis while ongoing shows remained tethered to Netflix. This was seen at the time as a way to increase licensing revenue by opening up the bidding pool.

[TMC]

The CW had to cancel everything from Legacies to Batwoman this year...but why? In this video I talk about The CW through the years, from the Arrowverse to Gossip Girl to The Vampire Diaries.

[TMC]

The CW's New Ownership Has Fans Seriously Worried About Its Future

CW fans aren't looking forward to reality TV and reruns replacing their favorite shows

Though CBS' George Cheeks and Warner Bros. Television Group's Channing Dungey have insisted that future CW programming will be a collaborative effort, and that, as Dungey says, fans on the network's subreddit are understandably skeptical. There's a reason, after all, why big box stores like Walmart and fast-food franchises like Taco Bell and Chik-fil-A are more profitable than your local specialty store or family-owned restaurant: a cheaper cost of good results in much higher profits. Thus, if Nexstar has any hope of realizing their ambitious goal of making the struggling network profitable within the next three years (via Deadline), they won't get there by filling it with high-budget scripted dramas that draw niche audiences who quickly age-out of their programming.

"I could see Nexstar doing reality shows and rerunning old syndicated shows," writes one viewer on Reddit, who also added, "Look at zombie broadcast networks like My9 and WGN. The replacement to WB would be another zombie broadcast network, but the news network would be the 'original' content."

It's an assumption supported by Carter's own words. Though he didn't give specifics, he nonetheless alluded, as Deadline reports, to "lower unscripted costs" and an increase in syndicated programming. Fan criticism and disappointed ranged from suspicions about Nexstar pushing a biased political agenda (via Reddit) to simply being, as u/spinereader81 wrote, "sad to see something I once loved circle the drain." But regardless of the specific form the network's new, more profitable content will take, one thing appears abundantly clear to fans, and that's the fact that new scripted programs aren't likely part of the new CW's future.

[TMC]

The CW's New Ownership Has Fans Seriously Worried About Its Future

CW fans aren't looking forward to reality TV and reruns replacing their favorite shows

Though CBS' George Cheeks and Warner Bros. Television Group's Channing Dungey have insisted that future CW programming will be a collaborative effort, and that, as Dungey says, fans on the network's subreddit are understandably skeptical. There's a reason, after all, why big box stores like Walmart and fast-food franchises like Taco Bell and Chik-fil-A are more profitable than your local specialty store or family-owned restaurant: a cheaper cost of good results in much higher profits. Thus, if Nexstar has any hope of realizing their ambitious goal of making the struggling network profitable within the next three years (via Deadline), they won't get there by filling it with high-budget scripted dramas that draw niche audiences who quickly age-out of their programming.

"I could see Nexstar doing reality shows and rerunning old syndicated shows," writes one viewer on Reddit, who also added, "Look at zombie broadcast networks like My9 and WGN. The replacement to WB would be another zombie broadcast network, but the news network would be the 'original' content."

It's an assumption supported by Carter's own words. Though he didn't give specifics, he nonetheless alluded, as Deadline reports, to "lower unscripted costs" and an increase in syndicated programming. Fan criticism and disappointed ranged from suspicions about Nexstar pushing a biased political agenda (via Reddit) to simply being, as u/spinereader81 wrote, "sad to see something I once loved circle the drain." But regardless of the specific form the network's new, more profitable content will take, one thing appears abundantly clear to fans, and that's the fact that new scripted programs aren't likely part of the new CW's future.

[MA]

The CW Will Be A Profitable Network By 2025, With Broader And Cheaper Programming, New Owners At Nexstar Signal

https://deadline.com/2022/08/the-cw-...ar-1235092173/

[TMC]

Get ready for a less-expensive and older skewed CW, says new owners Nexstar Media Group

“According to Deadline, The CW’s new owners Nexstar Media Group have plans to lower the network’s losses, while creating new content for their surprisingly older average viewer…….the real kicker is who is enjoying all this teen-marketed television. According to their stats, the average age of The CW watcher is 58 years old—very much not the teen-to-30-year-old demographic that everyone assumed that they were getting. Instead of continuing to give those older viewers content that they’re apparently already watching and enjoying, Nexstar President and COO Tom Carter says they’re “lowering unscripted costs” and adding more syndicated shows to their lineup.”

and

“While there isn’t an age limit on enjoying the epic highs and lows of high school adventures, there is a question as to whether this data is the most accurate representation of their general audience. Could these stats have been taken from only those who watch The CW on cable boxes, giving them a leaning more towards an older viewer? If so, that seems pretty risky to not take into account streaming views, which amasses a much younger audience for binge-watching and “next day” episode plays.”

[stevea]

Nexstar has two channels here, one a Fox affiliate and one CBS.

It will be interesting to see what happens at contract time. Right now the CW is carried by a locally-owned independent.

[MA]

Here in the Boston area, The CW is owned by Sunbeam Television. They also own WHDH, which is independent.

[TMC]

The most ridiculously CW moments from the old CW

The CW as we know it is coming to an end. The network may continue after its acquisition by Nexstar, but it won’t look like the one we know and love. The CW’s new parent company has indicated it plans to target an older demographic and signaled as much by canceling many of the network’s existing shows and announcing that carryover of shows from the previous regime would be minimal. Nexstar also may not extend its partnership with Paramount and Warner Bros., which could render the “C” (for CBS) and “W” (for Warners) obsolete.

And so we prepare to say a slow goodbye to the soapy teen dramas, the DC superhero series, and the fun genre fare that has defined the network since its inception in 2006. The CW aired some of the most hilarious, outrageous, “did they really just do that?” moments in broadcast television history; and to celebrate the end of an era, here are a few of The A.V. Club’s favorites from the last 16 years. Say it with us: The CW is dead. Long live the CW.

[TMC]

First Nexstar Cancelled Your Favorite CW Shows, Then They Cancelled Kimmel — So, What’s This Company’s Deal?

Network TV has taken a rather drastic turn due to this company's reign.

[Dude111]

Im afraid CW will get worse if this happens!!