Ooooooh…
It looks like ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia have put The CW, home of The Arrowverse and many other shows, up for sale.
Word is that ‘TV giant Nexstar’ is the current favourite to buy it over, adding it to its 199 stations in the US although “it isn’t immediately clear whether ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia plan to sell the entire network, or retain minority stakes”.
Recently The CW has worked with HBO Max and Netflix in the distribution of many of their shows such as Riverdale and some of the Arrowverse shows, however “that pact ended in 2019 as Warner Bros. TV and CBS Studios shifted library deals to their respective streamers, HBO Max and Paramount+. Also impacting the profit margins on originals is the fact that foreign sales have almost entirely ended as CBS Studios and Warners look to retain those rights for their respective streamers”.
The CW CEO Mark Pedowitz said: “Over the past year or so, this transformative time in our industry has led to a series of business activity across media and content companies. Given that environment right now, ViacomCBS and Warner Bros. are exploring strategic opportunities to optimize the value of their joint venture in The CW Network.
“So, what does this mean for us right now? It means we must continue to do what we do best, make The CW as successful and vibrant as we have always done. We have a lot of work ahead of us — with more original programming than ever, this season’s expansion to Saturday night, our growing digital and streaming platforms — and we thrive when we come together and build The CW together.”
It’s hard to know what this will all mean, especially for The Arrowverse which, love it or loathe it, is a massive TV universe, but we’d be very surprised if those shows, in particular, weren’t somehow absorbed into HBO Max which seems like the new home of all DC content.
But, ultimately, it’s impossible to call what will become of The CW and the many, many shows therein right now.
Thoughts?
Source: THR
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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