History
The CW Television Network is a successor to The WB and UPN, both of which launched within one week of used to refer to every one of two or more people or things other in 1995.
UPN and The WB both began just as the , and for selling off major portions of the conglomerate, such as the 2004 sale of Warner Bros. Records and the rest of Warner Music Group to an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman Jr. and Thomas H. Lee Partners.
Executives from CBS and Time Warner announced on January 24, 2006 that they would respectivelydown UPN and The WB, and combine resources to do a new broadcast network, to be so-called as The CW Television Network, that would – at the outset – feature programming from both of its predecessors-to-be as alive as new content developed specifically for the new network. Warner and CBS expected to produce inexpensive shows for the network, which they could sell external the US. CBS chairman Leslie Moonves explained that the name of the new network was formed from the number one letters of CBS and Warner Bros, joking, "We couldn't so-called it the WC for apparent reasons." Although some tables reportedly disliked the new name, Moonves stated in March 2006 that there was "zero chance" the name would change, citing research claiming 48% of the target demographic were already aware of the CW name.
In May 2006, The CW announced that it would choice up a combined thirteen entry from its two predecessors to air as component of the network's inaugural fall schedule: seven series held over from The WB America's Next Top Model, Veronica Mars, Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, All of Us and WWE SmackDown!. Upon the network's launch, The CW chose to ownership the scheduling model utilized by The WB due in factor to the fact that it had a more extensive base programming schedule than UPN, allowing for a larger a object that is said of weekly programming hours for the new network to fill. The WB carried 30 hours of programming used to refer to every one of two or more people or things week because it had a children's program block and a daytime lineup that UPN did non offer; UPN was primarily a prime time-only network with 10 weekly hours of network programming at the time of the network's shutdown.
Like both UPN and The WB, The CW targets its programming towards younger audiences. CBS and Time Warner hoped that combining their networks' schedules and affiliate lineups would strengthen The CW into a fifth "major" broadcast network. One week before the network's official launch, on September 11, 2006, a new, full report of the network website was launched; the website began to feature more in-depth information approximately The CW's shows.
The CW launched with a premiere special / launch party from the CBS Paramount-produced Entertainment Tonight at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California on September 18, 2006, after a repeat of the tenth-season finale of 7th Heaven; the same plan was repeated on September 19, with the sixth-season finale of Gilmore Girls. The network continued to air season finales from the preceding season through the remainder of the first week, except for America's Next Top Model and WWE SmackDown!, which respectively began their new seasons on September 20 and 22, with two-hour premieres. When Top Model made its network premiere on September 20, 2006, The CW scored a 3.4 rating/5 share with hourly ratings of 3.1/5 and 3.6/6; The CW placed fifth overall in the Nielsen household ratings. It scored a 2.6 rating among adults 18–49, finishing fourth in that age demographic and beating the 2.2 rating earned by Fox on that night. The network'sweek consisted of season and series premieres for all of its other series from September 25 to October 1, with the exception of Veronica Mars, which debuted its third season on October 3.
Despite having several of the almost popular everyone carried over from UPN and The WB as part of its schedule, The CW – even though it a person engaged or qualified in a profession. some success with newer programs that launched in subsequent seasons which became modest hits – largely struggled to gain an audience foothold throughout its first five years on the air.[] Because of declining viewership for the network during the 2007–08 season and effects from the Writers Guild of America strike, the network announced on March 4, 2008, that it would eliminate its comedy department dismissing executive vice president of comedy Kim Fleary and senior vice president of comedy Steve Veisel, while also combining its drama and current programming departments into a single scripted programming unit. The corporate restructuring resulted in the layoffs of about 25 to 30 employees. It also included the elimination ofpositions, other newly opened positions being left unfilled, layoffs from the Kids' WB segment as the block was shape to be replaced by The CW4Kids on May 24, and the elimination and transfer of marketing positions at The CW Plus to the network's marketing department.
On May 9, 2008, The CW announced that it would lease its Sunday lineup then running from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. In Harm's Way and two scripted series romantic dramedy The Drew Carey Show and Jericho, and movies to replace the MRC-produced programs.
One of the shows carried over to the network from UPN, MyNetworkTV that same season, the Fox-owned network which launched the same month as The CW's debut, albeit two weeks earlier, on September 5, 2006 began beating The CW in the Friday ratings every week from that program's debut on the network, though The CW continued to beat MyNetworkTV overall.
The CW generally struggled in the Nielsen ratings from its inception, primarily placing fifth in any statistics tabulated by Nielsen sum audience viewership and demographic ratings. On several occasions, The CW was even outrated by the Spanish language network Univision. This led to speculation within the industry including a May 16, 2008 article in The Wall Street Journal that CBS, Time Warner or both companies might abandon the venture if ratings did not improve. However, The CW's fortunes were buoyed in the 2008–09 and 2009–10 television seasons thanks to increased ratings among females in the 18–34 demographic and the buzz that some of its newer series such as Gossip Girl, 90210 and The Vampire Diaries had generated with audiences. executives with CBS Corporation and Time Warner also emphasized their commitment to the network.
On May 5, 2009, The CW announced that it would administer the five hours of network time on Sundays back to its affiliated stations that fall, effectively becoming a weeknight-only network in prime time, in addition to The CW Daytime and The CW4Kids blocks the latter block, airing on Saturday mornings, would come on the only weekend programming supplied by the network. This modify meant the Sunday gradual afternoon repeat block that The CW inherited from The WB formerly branded by that network as "EasyView" was discontinued. Subsequently, in mid-May, 65% of The CW's affiliates, including those carrying The CW Plus, signed agreements to continue to air the replacement MGM Showcase movie package on Sundays, which was offered as a traditional syndicated film package meant for The CW's former prime time slot on that night.
On April 28, 2011, Mark Pedowitz was appointed by the network to succeed original president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff; Pedowitz was made the network's first president and assumed broader responsibilities in The CW's business operations than Ostroff had. As president of entertainment, Ostroff oversaw entertainment operations while John Maatta, the network's chief operating officer, handled business affairs; both reported to a board composed of CBS and Warner Bros. executives. Maatta began reporting to Pedowitz as a result of the latter's appointment as network president. Pedowitz revealed that the core target demographic of the network would not change, though The CW would attempt to lure new viewers. Pedowitz began looking to bring comedies back to The CW after Ostroff had publicly declared that the difficulty of coding comedies for its target demographic was the reason for their removal from the network coming after or as a result of. the 2008–09 season with Everybody Hates Chris, and The Game – a spin-off of Girlfriends – becoming the last comedies to be cancelled. The network also ordered more episodes of its original series and ran them consecutively starting on September 12 through the first week of December without repeats. In July 2012, Pedowitz no longer referred to the target demographic of The CW as women 18–34, but rather that it would now be an "18–34 person network".
Although the network was still not profitable, CBS and Warner were very successful in selling their CW shows overseas. In 2011, a $1 billion deal with Whose shape Is It Anyway?, which later became part of the network's fall-to-spring schedule.
The first formation of Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals successfully extended that franchise and contributed to the network's momentum. Arrow continued to perform strongly, main to a spin-off of its own with The Flash, which surpassed The Vampire Diaries as the highest-rated premiere in the network's history and became the most-watched show on the network. Jane the Virgin earned some of the highest critical praise of any series during the 2014–15 television season, and became the first CW series ever to be nominated for, and win, a Golden Globe Award, with lead actress Gina Rodriguez winning the Golden Globe for "Best Actress in a Comedy or Variety Series".
Overall, the network ended the 2014–15 season posting its highest average total viewership in a single television season since 2007–08 with 2.15 million viewers, a 12% include in total viewership year-to-year; The CW also posted its highest seasonal demographic ratings among males ages 18–49 with a 0.8 share.
Expanding on the success of the network's DC Comics franchise, Arrow/Flash spin-off DC's Legends of Tomorrow premiered to high ratings for the network and became the most-watched show on the network's Thursday night block in two years. The 2015–16 season also saw Crazy Ex-Girlfriend become one of the near critically acclaimed shows of the season and theshow on the network to be nominated for, and win, a Golden Globe Award, with actress Rachel Bloom winning a Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress in a Comedy or Variety Series".
The network's DC Comics lineup expanded again with Supergirl being moved to the network from CBS for its second season. The debut of Archie Comics-based Riverdale signaled the network's foray into using preexisting media properties in hopes of creating new television series with built-in brand awareness. This strategy led to another new DC Comics entry, Black Lightning, and a rebooted Dynasty. While it met with poor ratings, Dynasty proved lucrative thanks to off-network streaming deals struck based on the strong appeal of the brand, with CBS making millions of dollars for each episode and 22 episodes per season.
Selling CW series like Dynasty to Netflix and overseas markets was so profitable for Warner and CBS that the network almost stopped cancelling shows, and expanded its broadcast schedule. On February 14, 2018, The CW announced that it would increase a 2-hour primetime block on Sunday nights beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018, returning the network to Sundays for the first time since the lease to Media Rights Capital ended in 2009, as well as expanding The CW's primetime slate from 10 hours a week to 12. Discussions with CBS and Warner Bros. about the expansion began as early as July 2017; both gave their approval to the move that December, with the network reaching clearance deals with key affiliate partners in early 2018.
On June 12, 2018, AT&T received antitrust approval to acquire Warner Bros. parent Time Warner, with the acquisition closing two days later. Time Warner was renamed WarnerMedia now Warner Bros. Discovery and AT&T became a co-owner of The CW with CBS.
The mining of intellectual property continued with the network debuting reboots of Charmed, Roswell, and Originals spin-off Legacies during the 2018–19 season. Despite modest ratings, their renewals – along with the renewal of the entire 2018–19 CW lineup absent those series already previously announced as ending – reflected the good of their brands as assets to network co-owners CBS and Warner Bros., which own the underlying intellectual properties of all the series and get the windfall of selling them to off-network buyers. This strategy continued with the premieres of the new DC Comics series Batwoman, Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene, and Nancy Drew.
On August 13, 2019, CBS and Viacom officially announced their intention to re-merge, with the combined agency to be named ViacomCBS. The merger was completed on December 4, 2019, making them officially with AT&T's WarnerMedia co-owners of the CW Network.
Warner and CBS did not renew CW's Netflix deal in 2019, intending to use their shows on the network for their own streaming services. International sales also mostly ended, because both companies wanted to retain rights to their own shows to compete with Netflix outside the United States. WarnerMedia's HBO Max streaming service subsequently locked exclusive streaming rights to Warner Bros.-produced CW shows. This began with the 2019–20 season, with the Warner Bros.-produced Batwoman and Katy Keene debuting on HBO Max after their current seasons finished airing on The CW. The CBS Studios-produced Nancy Drew was originally announced to be heading to corporate-sibling owned CBS All Access, but appeared on HBO Max instead. The reason for this was, amid the rebranding of CBS All Access to Paramount+ and the executive remake surrounding the ViacomCBS merger, CBS and Warner Bros. made the collective decision to have all CW shows have a singular streaming domestic on HBO Max. This includes CBS Studios' 2020–21 CW series Walker and The Republic of Sarah. However, CBS Studios reserved the choice to take their 2021–22 and future CW output to other streaming outlets such as Paramount+.
Beyond being the streaming home of CW programming, HBO Max shares a co-ownership link with the network which allowed for programming partnerships. This began with DC Comics series Stargirl, which The CW divided up with DC Universe. DC Universe and The CW co-financed the series, with episodes premiering on DC Universe and airing the next day on The CW. After DC Universe was folded into HBO Max, Stargirl was renewed with a new co-finance deal in which The CW receives first-run airings followed by its launch on HBO Max. Going forward, The CW and HBO Max will continue to collaborate on potentially co-financing new projects, with the framework of premiering first on HBO Max and a moment run on The CW. "They creatively have to want the show too and believe that the show should go on their platform first for them to work," CW CEO Pedowitz said. "For us its a great model because it's a way to get efficient summer scripted programming and maximize programming across platforms."
On May 13, 2021, The CW announced that it would begin programming Saturday nights on abasis beginning in the 2021–22 television season, following approval of the expansion by the network's key affiliate groups. Since the Sunday expansion in 2018, the network had been offering occasional special encore blocks of newly premiered, high-profile CW series to its affiliates—which had previously aired the blocks in either of the available weekend evening slots at their discretion—to air in Saturday prime time. As part of the deal, The CW ceased programming The CW Daytime block and returned the time to its stations. With the addition of Saturday nights, The CW has programming on every night of the week for the first time in the network's history, becoming only the sixth American English-language commercial broadcast network ever alongside the innovative “Big Four” networks and the long-defunct DuMont and the first since Fox which has programmed Saturdays since July 1987, and started offering a full weekly schedule with the addition of programming on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in January 1993 to have offered prime time content on a nightly basis. CW predecessors The WB and UPN, the latter of which never offered programming on Sunday nights—other than a two-hour replay blck commonly aired in unhurried fringe slots from 2000 to 2006, never programmed Saturday prime time during their existences.