A sale of The CW is being explored - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 01-06-2022, 05:13 AM

https://www.wsj.com/articles/warnerm...rk-11641436892

ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia are exploring a sale of The CW network, which has catered to teens and young adults since it was launched from the merger of The WB and UPN in 2006, reports The Wall Street Journal. Among the suitors is Nexstar Media Group, the nation’s biggest broadcaster and a large owner of affiliates of the network. The Journal says the "most prevalent scenario is Nexstar’s taking a controlling stake in the CW, with CBS and WarnerMedia remaining as minority owners and receiving commitments to be the primary program suppliers for the network."

AB · 01-06-2022, 08:20 PM

I suppose they will make program changes if it's sold. I hate to see some of my favorite CW shows get axed.

TMC · 01-07-2022, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AB

I suppose they will make program changes if it's sold. I hate to see some of my favorite CW shows get axed.

Pagey, a comic book expert who covers The CW's DC Comics shows on his YouTube channel, just posted a video regarding what the sale of The CW could mean.

Pagey says that Nexstar would be the best choice for a new owner because the company already operates numerous TV stations that are affiliates of The CW, including WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles. Regarding any new shows that would premiere after Nexstar takes over, he says that Nexstar would be more demanding of ratings performance than WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS have been. Therefore, under Nexstar, The CW would cancel more shows than it has in recent years.

TMC · 01-07-2022, 06:04 AM

An appreciation of The CW's "deeply mediocre" lineup -- if a sale does spell the end

"If your back kind of hurts, you fondly remember it as the WB, and its Michigan J. Frog mascot has haunted at least one of your nightmares," says Chloe Stillwell. "Warner Brothers’ foray into its own station began in 1995, and grew into a staple television network for younger viewers into the aughts. In 2006, a merger with CBS rebranded the network as the CW, which it has remained until the news was released Thursday that its parent companies, Warner Media and ViacomCBS, are looking to sell it due to a lack of profitability. I say nay, though. The WB/CW is worth its weight in gold to millennials who were raised by its brand of salacious and candid teen programming. Everything ends at some point or another, but we need to pour one out for the network that was every early 2000s latchkey kid’s solace in a big, scary world. It filled the gap where MTV’s hard-hitting reality antics, Cartoon Network’s LSD strangeness, and the Disney channel’s family-oriented corniness left off. It was formative, for better or worse. I know this might be hard to believe for you younger folks, but we used to have TV channels. Now in the age of streaming, where shows new and old cross pollinate across platforms at will and there’s always something to watch, remembering how we used to get our entertainment feels like a memory from a dream. But as kids, we would memorize station numbers and their schedules. Our shows came on once a week, and if you missed it you were totally F’d around the cafeteria the next day as friends rabidly discussed the latest installment of teen programming that you hadn’t seen. Maybe you’d catch a re-run. And if you were extra bougie, you had TeVo and life was easy. But beyond how the logistics of old school television used to keep us patient and honest, it was the programming of everyone’s favorite network that made millennials the un-woke elders Gen Z loves to mock now." ALSO: Why is Nexstar, the nation’s largest TV station owner, interested in the youngest-skewing linear broadcast network — and why now?

TMC · 01-12-2022, 08:49 PM

If Nexstar seals a deal for a majority stake in the WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS broadcaster, insiders speculate the programming strategy may shift toward politics and reruns.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...ar-1235073465/

AB · 01-12-2022, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

Pagey, a comic book expert who covers The CW's DC Comics shows on his YouTube channel, just posted a video regarding what the sale of The CW could mean.

Pagey says that Nexstar would be the best choice for a new owner because the company already operates numerous TV stations that are affiliates of The CW, including WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles. Regarding any new shows that would premiere after Nexstar takes over, he says that Nexstar would be more demanding of ratings performance than WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS have been. Therefore, under Nexstar, The CW would cancel more shows than it has in recent years.

Man that sounds bad, I watch quite a few shows on the CW like In the Dark, Riverdale, Roswell New Mexico, Superman & Lois, etc. I hate to think of them possibly getting cancelled.

TMC · 01-13-2022, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

If Nexstar seals a deal for a majority stake in the WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS broadcaster, insiders speculate the programming strategy may shift toward politics and reruns.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...ar-1235073465/

To further elaborate:

Likely, a Nexstar deal, would still have to buy programming from Warner and CBS
But there are ideas that some want to up News programming (Nexstar's main product) as part of the line up, like their own Sunday Morning show (Nexstar recently bought the Hill).
Some current shows could move to HBO Max / Paramount Plus (since the CW's only money was the programs being sold to Netflix, as stated before).
Nexstar could also pick up more (Read cheaper) imports and reruns. Especially since Nexstar doesn't want to run a money sink.
Nexstar could acquire some of the CBS owned CW stations (but that depends on how invested they are and they are already at the cap of ownership, so less likely but possible). CBS already announced they are doing something with their owned CW/MY networks stations anyway.

To make a long story short, if The CW goes away, their affiliates will more than likely become independents. And a majority of CW stations have sister stations that make news programming, so local news expansions could happen.

TMC · 01-18-2022, 06:34 AM

Nexstar is in negotiations to acquire a stake in the CW

TMC · 05-13-2022, 06:15 AM

Tea: Warner Bros. is getting rid of the CW channel:

Quote:

ALL ALLEGED. The NEW Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav is going to shut down The CW and move all the DC/Berlanti shows to HBO Max. It's too expensive to keep and it's a liability more than an asset. They are cancelling almost every show on the channel right now its a blood bath.

favoriteshow · 05-13-2022, 02:11 PM

What’s the point in keeping the CW brand if it goes news/politics and reruns and is owned by Nexstar? C is supposed to be for CBS and W for Warner to indicate a joint venture of the two. Nonetheless even excluding that, it’s not like CW has a deep rooted history like NBC, Fox or even TBS or TNT.

TMC · 05-13-2022, 08:45 PM

Explaining the bloodbath at CW: blame streaming, mergers, and the network's impending sale

Since its formation in 2006, the network has been a vehicle for corporate parents Warner Bros. TV and CBS Studios to make money. Until it wasn’t.

FHCastmember · 05-15-2022, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMC

Tea: Warner Bros. is getting rid of the CW channel:

U stole that from Lipstick gossip website

favoriteshow · 05-15-2022, 10:34 PM

The CBS owned CW stations should rebrand as UPN. In Philly, WPSG could go back to UPN57. UPN could have some programming shared with Paramount+

The Nexstar stations that are independent could run Antenna TV Prime between 8-10pm with classic shows from Antenna and Rewind TV.

Discovery/Warner would just encourage viewers to sub to Discovery Plus and HBO Max for its content.

Just put a fork in the CW. It could quietly disappear and nobody would know the network ended.

FHCastmember · 05-16-2022, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by favoriteshow

The CBS owned CW stations should rebrand as UPN. In Philly, WPSG could go back to UPN57. UPN could have some programming shared with Paramount+

The Nexstar stations that are independent could run Antenna TV Prime between 8-10pm with classic shows from Antenna and Rewind TV.

Discovery/Warner would just encourage viewers to sub to Discovery Plus and HBO Max for its content.

Just put a fork in the CW. It could quietly disappear and nobody would know the network ended.

Just rebrand them as The WB it has more cache than a name like UPN.

TMC · 05-16-2022, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by favoriteshow

The CBS owned CW stations should rebrand as UPN. In Philly, WPSG could go back to UPN57. UPN could have some programming shared with Paramount+

The Nexstar stations that are independent could run Antenna TV Prime between 8-10pm with classic shows from Antenna and Rewind TV.

Discovery/Warner would just encourage viewers to sub to Discovery Plus and HBO Max for its content.

Just put a fork in the CW. It could quietly disappear and nobody would know the network ended.

http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEMS/2022/MAY.html

158. ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 05/13 **3**

It is negotiations with this massive television station ("Nexstar") owner (John Muse) that is behind the carnage from the almost network ("The CW"). They are trying to cut the bloat to get whatever kind of deal they can. As part of the deal, they will have to give the shows on air to the buyer which is why all new shows will go to their streaming service. "Nexstar"/John Muse/"The CW" (The CW guts its lineup, replaces the canceled shows with Supernatural and Walker spin-offs)

01-06-2022, 05:13 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,847	A sale of The CW is being explored https://www.wsj.com/articles/warnerm...rk-11641436892 ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia are exploring a sale of The CW network, which has catered to teens and young adults since it was launched from the merger of The WB and UPN in 2006, reports The Wall Street Journal. Among the suitors is Nexstar Media Group, the nation’s biggest broadcaster and a large owner of affiliates of the network. The Journal says the "most prevalent scenario is Nexstar’s taking a controlling stake in the CW, with CBS and WarnerMedia remaining as minority owners and receiving commitments to be the primary program suppliers for the network."

01-06-2022, 08:20 PM	#2
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,429	I suppose they will make program changes if it's sold. I hate to see some of my favorite CW shows get axed.

01-07-2022, 06:04 AM	#4
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,847	An appreciation of The CW's "deeply mediocre" lineup -- if a sale does spell the end "If your back kind of hurts, you fondly remember it as the WB, and its Michigan J. Frog mascot has haunted at least one of your nightmares," says Chloe Stillwell. "Warner Brothers’ foray into its own station began in 1995, and grew into a staple television network for younger viewers into the aughts. In 2006, a merger with CBS rebranded the network as the CW, which it has remained until the news was released Thursday that its parent companies, Warner Media and ViacomCBS, are looking to sell it due to a lack of profitability. I say nay, though. The WB/CW is worth its weight in gold to millennials who were raised by its brand of salacious and candid teen programming. Everything ends at some point or another, but we need to pour one out for the network that was every early 2000s latchkey kid’s solace in a big, scary world. It filled the gap where MTV’s hard-hitting reality antics, Cartoon Network’s LSD strangeness, and the Disney channel’s family-oriented corniness left off. It was formative, for better or worse. I know this might be hard to believe for you younger folks, but we used to have TV channels. Now in the age of streaming, where shows new and old cross pollinate across platforms at will and there’s always something to watch, remembering how we used to get our entertainment feels like a memory from a dream. But as kids, we would memorize station numbers and their schedules. Our shows came on once a week, and if you missed it you were totally F’d around the cafeteria the next day as friends rabidly discussed the latest installment of teen programming that you hadn’t seen. Maybe you’d catch a re-run. And if you were extra bougie, you had TeVo and life was easy. But beyond how the logistics of old school television used to keep us patient and honest, it was the programming of everyone’s favorite network that made millennials the un-woke elders Gen Z loves to mock now." ALSO: Why is Nexstar, the nation’s largest TV station owner, interested in the youngest-skewing linear broadcast network — and why now?

01-12-2022, 08:49 PM	#5
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,847	If Nexstar seals a deal for a majority stake in the WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS broadcaster, insiders speculate the programming strategy may shift toward politics and reruns. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...ar-1235073465/

01-18-2022, 06:34 AM	#8
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,847	Nexstar is in negotiations to acquire a stake in the CW

05-13-2022, 02:11 PM	#10
favoriteshow Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 08, 2018 Posts: 587	What’s the point in keeping the CW brand if it goes news/politics and reruns and is owned by Nexstar? C is supposed to be for CBS and W for Warner to indicate a joint venture of the two. Nonetheless even excluding that, it’s not like CW has a deep rooted history like NBC, Fox or even TBS or TNT.

05-13-2022, 08:45 PM	#11
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,847	Explaining the bloodbath at CW: blame streaming, mergers, and the network's impending sale Since its formation in 2006, the network has been a vehicle for corporate parents Warner Bros. TV and CBS Studios to make money. Until it wasn’t.

05-15-2022, 10:34 PM	#13
favoriteshow Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 08, 2018 Posts: 587	The CBS owned CW stations should rebrand as UPN. In Philly, WPSG could go back to UPN57. UPN could have some programming shared with Paramount+ The Nexstar stations that are independent could run Antenna TV Prime between 8-10pm with classic shows from Antenna and Rewind TV. Discovery/Warner would just encourage viewers to sub to Discovery Plus and HBO Max for its content. Just put a fork in the CW. It could quietly disappear and nobody would know the network ended.