Jump to content

The CW expands to Saturday nights


The Frog

Recommended Posts

Quote

The CW Network is becoming a full seven-day-a-week broadcast network. The net, co-owned by WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS, is expanding its primetime schedule to include Saturday next season.

 

The CW is expected to announce its fall Saturday lineup when the network unveils its fall 2021 schedule the week after next. Because the current HUT levels on Saturday night cannot sustain high-end scripted programming on Saturday, the CW’s offerings will likely include non-scripted fare and possibly acquisitions.

 

Those moves need approval by the network’s key affiliate groups in order for the CW to secure clearances across the country. Leading the CW’s negotiations with the affiliates were Betty Ellen Berlamino, the CW’s EVP, Network Distribution, and Ann Miyagi, SVP and General Counsel. That includes talks with the CW’s top stations groups, including Nexstar and Sinclair, whose affiliate agreements are up this year and are currently being renegotiated.

 

As the CW got the affiliates’ blessing to take Saturday primetime from them, the network will return to the stations the Monday through Friday 3 PM-4 PM afternoon to program to their own needs.

 

The CW will use the new Saturday primetime block to sell more original programming to advertisers both on linear TV and the CW’s digital platforms where it will be available with an ad load.

 

https://deadline.com/2021/05/the-cw-primetime-schedule-saturday-weekday-afternoon-block-returned-affiliates-1234755841/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was once a time, long long ago, when the networks did program Saturday night.  CBS Saturday night's included shows like All in the Family, Mary Tyler Moore Show,  Newhart and Carol Burnett.  Classics all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's going to be low-cost programming that will likely appeal to women/young adults to counterprogram against Saturday night sports. If CW expanded to Sundays despite Sunday Night Football,  college football certainly wouldn't stop them. With the programming that'll be airing,  CW likely doesn't need high ratings for this to make financial sense. Two hours on Saturday night will probably be worth more than the five hours on weekday afternoons that is going back to the affiliates. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is more about adding programming inventory overall for their streaming presences than the actual night of programming. The CW pretty much has given up on Nielsen ratings, so if whatever they put on there rates low over-the-air, they don't care, because they'll get many more for those two shows online.

 

The stations win because they no longer have to spackle up the night with two hours of zero-rated syndicated programming, and they finally are done having to deal with the perennial failure that is the CW daytime. Likely Nexstar asked for the extra night as part of their negotiations to renew the network overall so they could stop having to handle the hour that was heaped on them by Tribune, but we just don't know that yet publicly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And the affiliates are rejoicing at getting the 3 pm hour to themselves. Also, no more having to put low-rated syndies in prime time.

 

They don't mention the Saturday morning block currently controlled by Litton, so I'm going to assume that'll stay the same; as in, reruns of old shows. Seriously, Litton seemed to stop caring about One Magnificent Morning after they landed on NBC. First they went from five hours to the minimum three, then started to fill the time with mostly reruns of older shows, Litton and non-Litton. They seemed to be bringing effort back in the 2018 season (well, as much effort as Litton usually gives), only to 180 back into further irrelevance after the 2019 changes to the FCC rules, with also hurt their other blocks (especially Weekend Adventure, which ABC affiliates are shuffling around as they see fit). Now the block it just 90 minutes of Jack Hanna reruns followed by This Old House reedits, then even more old Litton shows. I know this pandemic hasn't helped their programming at all, but still.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In which they will be lucky to see 250,000 viewers on any given Saturday. Let's face it, the last top 30 Saturday night show was CBS's The District. TWENTY years ago. And with life rapidly returning to normal as vaccinations rise, everyone will be o-u-t on Saturdays to bars, college football games, or other places. Or if they stay in, they are watching college football or the HBO movie premiere, and not The CW.

 

I give them good luck regardless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Yankees4life said:

This is a "y tho" for me. I don't get this move at all. With sports happening on Saturday nights (ie. College Football), I expect the ratings to be VERY low on this one. 

Broadcast networks already seem to struggle at filling Sun-Thu with decent quality shows, much less Friday and especially Saturday. As @mrschimpf suggested it's most likely to build their streaming inventory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a surprising turn.

I don't think originals on Saturday will get even decent ratings either, but I can see why that isn't the execs #1 priority (and those of its affiliate companies) as their shows do great on streaming anyway, or else why would they announce expanding to that night in the first place. Congrats to all at The CW on making history and I wish them and the affiliates that air it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of the CW affiliates provide local programming on Saturday nights that are not sports or syndicated reruns.  Could those shows end or get moved around?

 

In Cleveland, WUAB has a horror movie program called "The Big Bad B-Movie Show."  I can see that moving to a later time slot after the 10pm newscast if the station plans to continue the show.

 

I also was wondering if the CW on Saturday nights could boost the affiliates programming or lack thereof?  (WUAB has a ton of informericials they air on Saturdays and Sundays in morning through early afternoon, not counting religious, 43 Focus and the CW Saturday morning block.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no harm, no foul. I mean, here in NY, WPIX has had a night (and day) of ny-centric classics for a while, such as Barney Miller, All in the family, The Jeffersons + The honeymooners, latter which has been off schedule for a while. But for how long? As for other affiliates, you'd think hopefully they'd invest a little bit in their weekend schedule, maybe inspired by the upcoming CW saturday night slate, instead of an all around graveyard of informercials, syndie reruns, cancon (canadian imported) ilk + other zero rated syndie junk (aptly put by mrschimpf)

 

I know some stations do sports, which my suggestion is invest more in it when possible, by fall in the afternoons, showcasing some schools not seen elsewhere on TV. God willingly if one lands a deal with an MLS club, but I'll digress from here on out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/15/2021 at 11:38 AM, David Salter JR said:

it's about time The CW did Saturday primetime.their predeseccors  UPN and WB should have done it a long time ago (and the WB had an option in affiliation agreements to expand to Saturday night until the final years of that network)

 I didn't know The WB could program Saturday nights if they wanted to which would've been on a 22 hour delay WB Friday nights was Saturday night at 6PM on WZPX.

 

I wish The CW well on Saturday Night I'll watch if they have good shows on Saturday night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Megatron81 said:

 I didn't know The WB could program Saturday nights if they wanted to which would've been on a 22 hour delay WB Friday nights was Saturday night at 6PM on WZPX.

 

I wish The CW well on Saturday Night I'll watch if they have good shows on Saturday night.

The WB had an option to do Saturday primetime but never did. I don't remember what year they removed it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/13/2021 at 6:59 PM, mrschimpf said:

Likely Nexstar asked for the extra night as part of their negotiations to renew the network overall so they could stop having to handle the hour that was heaped on them by Tribune, but we just don't know that yet publicly.

Didn't specify if the daytime CW slot give-up was part of the negotiations, but the CW and Nexstar have indeed renewed all their stations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

Didn't specify if the daytime CW slot give-up was part of the negotiations, but the CW and Nexstar have indeed renewed all their stations.

The Deadline article indicates that the timeslot swap likely helped smooth things over.

 

I'm a little surprised that Nexstar didn't take the opportunity to put CW back on WGN-TV. They don't have much going for them in primetime since losing their sports rights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, The Frog said:

The Deadline article indicates that the timeslot swap likely helped smooth things over.

 

I'm a little surprised that Nexstar didn't take the opportunity to put CW back on WGN-TV. They don't have much going for them in primetime since losing their sports rights.

WGN is content with news and reruns during primetime. They don't want or need the CW back

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/13/2021 at 3:43 PM, phillynewslover said:

Will be interesting to see what Saturday nights on The CW entail - I'm expecting either reruns of The CW originals or, like the article says, acquisitions. A variety show/movie would also be interesting. 

I'm thinking a lot of low-budget sub-major-network-quality programming. They get a lot already from Associated Television International (Masters of Illusion, Hollywood Christmas Parade, and others. they used to produce a lot of stuff for the old PAX TV and pre-syndicated-service MyNetworkTV).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder how WCIU is doing with The CW as I know when Fox took it in fall of 2016 from WGN Fox never promoted The CW and the ratings weren't good in Chi. I was kinda surprised that when the sports were no more on WGN in the fall of 2019 didn't take back The CW and that WCIU took The CW I wonder why WCIU didn't take The CW in fall of 2016.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Megatron81 said:

I wonder why WCIU didn't take The CW in fall of 2016.

Probably because Fox offered more money. Of course, when the deal ran out, upfront payments didn't really matter since local ratings for The CW apparently went down the gutter to the point that WCIU, which was never affiliated with a major English-language network up to that point, seemed like a more attractive option.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using TVNewsTalk you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.