Nexstar Acquires 75% of The CW

[mre29 1262]

7 hours ago, mrschimpf said:

...we're not seeing "The NBA on The CW" in the near future and all the other major leagues are locked up, plus Nexstar is looking for specifically cheaper programming.

 

This sounds like a big opportunity for professional soccer (y'know, what most of the world calls football), rugby, lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, swimming, basket weaving, etc.

 

[Superdude 106]

1 hour ago, mre29 said:

 

This sounds like a big opportunity for professional soccer (y'know, what most of the world calls football), rugby, lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, swimming, basket weaving, etc.

 

Why not?  People watch the Olympics.  Plus its gotta achieve a broader audience than what they have now.

[tyrannical bastard 3249]

I couldn't resist....

[CLETVFan 362]

There's always Cornhole and Pickleball 

[nycnewsjunkie 1256]

14 hours ago, mre29 said:

This sounds like a big opportunity for professional soccer (y'know, what most of the world calls football), rugby, lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, swimming, basket weaving, etc.

MLS is already going to Apple TV, a platform that makes much more sense for them than The CW. IIRC, many of those other sports have agreements w/ NBC Sports and ESPN, which are both much more valuable partners than The CW. Even basket weaving’s got The Ocho going for them.

 

If Nexstar were smart, they’d try to secure national rights to HBCU football/basketball. I believe those rights are syndicated at the moment, and a platform like The CW might offer them more exposure. The CW will never reach the level of the other major networks in terms of either sports or scripted programming, but any live sporting events would give it a chance to grow. I wouldn’t hold my breath on it actually happening, though.

[newsteam13 350]

Or how about roller derby and women's tackle football as part of CW SPORTS?

[dabx 55]

How about minor league baseball?

 

[Nelson R. 521]

11 hours ago, dabx said:

How about minor league baseball?

 

That might work, right now teams have individual deals with local stations. Like the Charlotte Knights have their home Saturday games on WMYT. Sometimes they have Sunday games on there too. Not sure how long that deal lasts.

 

But Capitol Broadcasting owns the Durham Bulls, not sure how they would feel about some of their games airing on WLFL 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Nelson R.

[dabx 55]

I really would like to see minor league baseball or baseball from other countries - watch these young hungry players develope into major leaguers - and there would be a way to make profitable - sports betting on who would make it to the majors - also I would make the games regional and maybe year round

Edited October 8, 2022 by dabx

[Megatron81 166]

I was happy that Nexstar likes Walker & it's spinoff, Kung FU, Superman & Lois. I hope they keep Stargirl, All American, Nancy Drew as Nancy & her Drew Crew have more story to tell.

 

I don't see Fox having a problem with Nexstar owning The CW in my opinion they will get a deal done whenever Nexstar has to renew with Fox.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Megatron81

[CLETVFan 362]

Stargirl has been cancelled.

https://tvline.com/2022/10/31/stargirl-cancelled-ending-no-season-4-the-cw/

 

Nancy Drew is also coming to an end.

https://tvline.com/2022/10/26/nancy-drew-cancelled-ending-season-4-the-cw/

[Adam MadMan 244]

Nexstar has hired Rebekah Dopp, formerly from Google and CBS, to serve as The CW's EVP of Distribution, Strategy, and Affiliate Relations.

Quote

 BURBANK, CA (Nov. 1, 2022)—The CW Network, LLC (“The CW” “The CW Network”) today announced the appointment of Rebekah Dopp as Executive Vice President of Distribution, Strategy, and Affiliate Relations, responsible for negotiating and managing the network’s distribution and overseeing affiliate relations with its station group partners.  Ms. Dopp will begin her new duties immediately and report to Dana Zimmer, President and Chief Distribution and Strategy Officer for Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (“Nexstar”)(Nasdaq: NXST), and Dennis Miller, President of The CW Network.

 

“Rebekah is a leader and strategic thinker who will bring an incredible skill set to The CW,” said Ms. Zimmer.  “She has both the depth and breadth of experience in the linear broadcast, digital, and streaming world, and will be a formidable presence leading the distribution of The CW Network.”

 

“I’m excited to begin working with Rebekah as she assumes her new role,” said Mr. Miller.  “She understands the industry and is extremely familiar with our network partners—she will be a huge asset for The CW as we begin discussing the evolution of our programming with them.”

 

Throughout her career, Ms. Dopp has led and worked with a variety of linear, digital and technology teams to develop new and innovative brands, products, and services.   She joins Nexstar from Google, where she served as the  Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Brand and Reputation. Prior to Google, Ms. Dopp worked at CBS Television and HBO and held multiple executive roles in affiliate relations.

 

“The CW Network, together with Nexstar’s diverse media portfolio, reach, and dedication to localism, is an unbeatable combination,” said Ms. Dopp. “I am eager to return to broadcasting and there is no better place than Nexstar to do it.”

 

Ms. Dopp graduated from The College of William & Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a concentration in finance.

 

[The Frog 383]

Layoffs have begun. Many longtime CW execs are being replaced by Nexstar staffers. 

 

Nexstar is searching for a new programming chief. Former Pop TV head Brad Schwartz is in the running.

Edited November 1, 2022 by The Frog

[NowBergen 448]

29 minutes ago, The Frog said:

Layoffs have begun. Many longtime CW execs are being replaced by Nexstar staffers. 

 

Nexstar has been so successful with NewsNation you would think they would keep people who really know what they are doing in place. 

[CLETVFan 362]

No back orders for some of the new shows!

https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-winchesters-amp-walker-independence-no-back-orders-cw-cutbacks-season-2-canceled-renewed-1235159619/

[Adam MadMan 244]

In other cost cutting news, The CW is considering cutting license fees for dramas to $1 million across the board.

[Jase 806]

3 hours ago, CLETVFan said:

No back orders for some of the new shows!

https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-winchesters-amp-walker-independence-no-back-orders-cw-cutbacks-season-2-canceled-renewed-1235159619/

 

1 hour ago, Adam MadMan said:

In other cost cutting news, The CW is considering cutting license fees for dramas to $1 million across the board.

 

Hopefully, once they hire their programming chief, they can nail down what type of network they want the CW to be. I fear this may turn into a NewsNation situation were programming is all over the place and shows are incompatible with each other. I get wanting to save money and whatnot, but that can't be done overnight. They need slow down a bit and plan things out.  

 

[TheRolyPoly 1829]

2 hours ago, Adam MadMan said:

In other cost cutting news, The CW is considering cutting license fees for dramas to $1 million across the board.

 

a.k.a. Nexstar is a bunch of cheapos! This is pretty evident.

[The Frog 383]

That was quick. Brad Schwartz is named President, CW Entertainment.

 

Here’s an extensive interview with Schwartz on his strategy for the network. Sounds like it’ll resemble Pop TV in the Schitt’s Creek years.

[Action Newsroom 1111]

31 minutes ago, The Frog said:

Brad Schwartz is named President, CW Entertainment.

An excellent choice. His pickup of Schitt's Creek for Pop TV (along with its subsequent surge in popularity on Netflix) and especially its cleanup at the 2020 Primetime Emmys for its final season make him a perfect candidate. 

[mre29 1262]

I wonder if Nexstar will change the network's name since it'll clearly be a very different beast from what it's been.

 

Then again, we live in a world where BBC America mostly shows American movies and cop shows and the Travel Channel mostly shows shows about ghosts, so...

 

[Glimmer 230]

11 hours ago, The Frog said:

That was quick. Brad Schwartz is named President, CW Entertainment.

 

Here’s an extensive interview with Schwartz on his strategy for the network. Sounds like it’ll resemble Pop TV in the Schitt’s Creek years.

Pop TV managed a very comedy-heavy brand under Schwartz; I wonder if The CW's scripted programming will eventually be all comedy 

[mrschimpf 1856]

13 minutes ago, Glimmer said:

Pop TV managed a very comedy-heavy brand under Schwartz; I wonder if The CW's scripted programming will eventually be all comedy 

At the very least a lot of comedy and hour dramedy-type content like they air from their Canadian partners. But it's a good sign that it won't be all cheap reality-video content from $8 producers, or a Pax TV redux (as in cheap, not so family-friendly only nursing homes will watch).

[Jase 806]

2 hours ago, mre29 said:

I wonder if Nexstar will change the network's name since it'll clearly be a very different beast from what it's been.

 

It would cost millions to re-brand the network, so a name change isn’t going to happen anytime soon. Plus, one would hope they learned a lesson when they renamed WGN America before getting rid of the non-news programming.

[Newsjunkie24 494]

13 hours ago, Action Newsroom said:

An excellent choice. His pickup of Schitt's Creek for Pop TV (along with its subsequent surge in popularity on Netflix) and especially its cleanup at the 2020 Primetime Emmys for its final season make him a perfect candidate. 

 

Not a bad choice. No one had heard of Schitt's Creek over here until Pop picked it up and it became popular with a lot of people. Maybe another foreign show will become a hit when/if the CW picks it up.