Are you wondering why your favorite shows on The CW are being cancelled? Here’s why:
On October 3rd, The CW was acquired by Nexstar Media Group. Nexstar Media is “the largest local broadcast television group in the United States and one of the world’s leading diversified media companies“. They acquired a 75% stake in The CW, as well as absorbed the debt The CW has accumulated. Co-owners Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global will maintain a 12.5% stake in the company.
Popular shows like DC’s Stargirl and Nancy Drew were cancelled by The CW, but it wasn’t because of their ratings. Even though there was a lack of promotion for Stargirl’s third season, it still remained as one of the top-watched programs on the network, as well as having similar ratings as new shows, The Winchesters and Walker: Independence, who have had more promotion.
The change in ownership at The CW is the reason why over ten shows have been cancelled. Nexstar Media wants to change the direction of the network by creating shows that are cheaper to produce. They believe that the age demographic of The CW is 58 years old, so they want to make shows more suited for the older viewers. In order to do this, Nexstar is considering making more unscripted shows. They also think this will help make the network more profitable, as they hope that The CW will become profitable by 2025.
Expect more of your favorite shows to be axed in the coming months as Nexstar Media looks to change the content that will be shown on The CW Network.
References
“About Nexstar.” Nexstar Media Group, Inc., 30 Aug. 2022, https://www.nexstar.tv/company/.
Grebenyuk, Yana. “Mark Pedowitz Exits the CW Following Nexstar Media Group’s Network Acquisition.” Us Weekly, 3 Oct. 2022, https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/nexstars-ongoing-acquisition-of-the-cw-what-to-know/how-does-nexstar-plan-to-adjust-programming/.
Hayes, Dade. “The CW Will Be a Profitable Network by 2025, with Broader and Cheaper Programming, New Owners at Nexstar Signal.” Deadline, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2022, https://deadline.com/2022/08/the-cw-will-become-profitable-network-2025-broader-cheaper-programming-nexstar-1235092173/.
Neuman, Jennifer. “Nexstar Media Closes Acquisition of The CW Network.” Nexstar Media Group, Inc., 3 Oct. 2022, https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar-closes-acquisition-of-the-cw-network/.
Patterson, Michael. “Why DC’s Stargirl Was Cancelled (Why Season 4 Isn’t Happening).” Bam Smack Pow, FanSided, 1 Nov. 2022, https://bamsmackpow.com/2022/11/01/why-stargirl-was-got-cancelled-by-the-cw/.