CBS and Warner Bros. Entertainment founded The CW in January 2006 to consolidate UPN and The WB, the two smallest broadcast networks. The launch of the CW app, the second app, CW Seed, and the merger of both applications to create its larger girth has opened new doors.

The Tell Tales  / The CW is one of the incredible entertainment platforms broadcasting comedy movies and shows.

The CW is still a broadcast network, although its management prefers a "multiplatform network." It became a seven-night network this season by adding Saturday content and diversity. Mark Pedowitz, CW chairman and CEO, said younger viewers choose digital and social media. "We recognized our audience was changing fast towards a digital social media world," he says.

• What Did They Say?

Rick Haskins has been with The CW since its inception. He remembers the network's early struggles after the January 2006 NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) conference announcement of the merger of UPN and The WB. "It was very disguised while they were working to develop this new network." They want a post-NATPE announcement. Surprise is best for this important news—that hurt. Our first sponsor and affiliate presentation required haste.

Dark Ent  / While the merged seasons of CW are "widely awesome," it was never easy at the initial stage.

The CW transitioned from revivals to originals in 2011 when Mark Pedowitz joined. CW Seed, a digital studio, joined its streaming service the following year. Like HBO, the network negotiated a landmark Netflix contract in 2011 to broadcast its programs to millions of Netflix members. Thus, Riverdale and NFL-based All-Americans saw "Netflix spikes" in subsequent seasons.

• What Happened Next?

The CW canceled its Netflix agreement in 2019, but shows like The Flash will air after their seasons. WarnerMedia's HBO Max service contains newer series, and more importantly, The CW's free streaming gateway has whole seasons of Walker and Superman & Lois.

CNN Lifestyle  / The sense of progress and diversity in CW is exemplary for its competitors like HBO Max.

HBO Max doesn't have the same reach as Netflix, experts at CW suggest. But "we saw some pretty interesting things only on the digital play over there with Superman & Lois and Walker, Kung Fu and Stargirl," Pedowitz added. Walker and Superman & Lois' second seasons may help.

Progress is good. Pedowitz's CW has pioneered diversity and inclusion. Nearly half of its principal series performers and two-thirds of its showrunners, writers, and directors are women or people of color in 2021-22. Pedowitz believes an unserved population wanted to see themselves on TV. It "determinedly" replaced authors, directors, and performers.

• Parting Thoughts

Early social media users are the CW's target demographic. Haskins attributes the company's success to his and his employees' "grew up with social together" approach. Due to social media, "it was much simpler for us to go from strictly linear to linear-digital multiplatform than a lot of other networks" and excellent for the 18-to-34-year-old audience.

Seasoned experts, Haskins and Pedowitz have seen streaming obsolete broadcast networks. The CW has added Saturday and Sunday primetime programming to its on-air and digital offerings during the last three years. CW first-day ratings usually are hundreds of thousands, not millions.
Traditional TV veterans appreciate new stuff more than anticipated. "There have been growing pains. But, eventually, people comprehend it because, as consumers, they look at how they watch TV and how they use social media and see that it is intertwined into their life, so why shouldn't it be included in The CW?" one executive. Haskins claims.