The CW

**The CW Network** (most commonly referred to as **The CW**) is a television network in the United States, and the home channel of *Stargirl*. The CW was formed as a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment and saw a merger of The WB and UPN. The network commenced broadcasting on September 18, 2006.

The CW began airing *Stargirl* on May 19, 2020, the day after the episode premiered on DC Universe. The network renewed the series for second season and secured the exclusive right to the series, so episodes will air exclusively on *The CW*. On May 3, 2021, The CW renewed *DC's Stargirl* for a third season. On October 31, 2022, The CW announced its decision not to renew *Stargirl* for any future seasons.

## Overview

The CW is America's fifth-largest broadcast network, offering primetime programming aimed mostly at the young-adult audience demographic. On top of traditional TV viewership, it offers streaming through the network's website and Netflix. Hulu offers CW programming as part of its live-streaming service as of August 2017. It features a mixture of programming, including *The Vampire Diaries*, *Supernatural* and many more. The longest-running show was *America's Next Top Model* hosted by Tyra Banks (until 2015); the honor now goes to *Supernatural* (2005 to November, 2020).

On June 15, 2020, The CW put out a statement across their various shows and through their various social media platforms, where they stated that racist or misogynistic comments will not be tolerated. Nor will any hate towards the LGBTQIA+ community. So if people on their social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram leave these kinds of hateful messages, they will be blocked immediately.

On March 21, 2021, The CW released another statement across their various shows and social media platforms in wake of the growing violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander peoples. This is the first solidarity post made by the network, but their second to condemn the actions blatantly, following their discrimination statement. They "*condemned racism, hatred, and violence, including the recent rise of attacks against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. They remain in solidarity with their Asian American and Pacific Islander colleagues, fans, and storytellers.*" They finished the post with the hashtags, "*#StopAAPIHate*" and "*#StopAsianHate*".

## CW Seed

CW Seed (originally called CWD or the CW Digital Studio) is a production arm that provides original content created exclusively for digital platforms focused in the areas of animation, game shows, comedy, and digital personalities. Included in the service is interactivity, feedback from viewers, and social engagement. Previously existing as a section on The CW's main website, CW Seed was spun-off to a separate website (cwseed.com ) in 2014. Original web series produced by CW Seed includes: *Stupid Hype*, *I Ship It*, *How to Be a Vampire*, *JoJoHead*, *Prom Queen*, and *Husbands*. Additionally, it airs the CWverse series: *Vixen*, *Freedom Fighters: The Ray*, and *Constantine: City of Demons*. In addition, CW Seed also hosts archive programming that includes series  such as *Constantine*, *Birds of Prey*, *Hellcats*, *Forever*, *Everwood*,  the original 1981 *Dynasty* series, *Pushing Daisies*, *Everybody Hates Chris*, and *Max Headroom*.

## DC's Stargirl

Initially, The CW secured broadcasting rights to the DC Universe series, *Stargirl*. The CW aired original episodes the day after they premiered on DC Universe, a first for the network. The show proved to be a success for The CW, scoring the highest premiere in six years for the network and reaching the top-five streamed shows on the network. *Stargirl* also had an unprecedented eight-week demographic streak of 0.4.

In 2020, DC Universe announced it closure for television networking and opted to refocus on comics. With this choice, they began distributing its existing series to other networks, with most shows going to HBO Max. *DC's Stargirl*, however, was sold to The CW, with Season 2 of the series being co-financed by HBO Max. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of dozens of sets, The CW opted to renew nearly its entire 2020-2021 programming slate in the hopes of gaining stability in the future line-ups. On May 3, 2021, The CW renewed *DC's Stargirl* for a third season which would still be co-financed by HBO Max.

Unfortunately, The CW's majority shareholder, Nextstar, was determined to change the face of The CW by focusing on unscripted content and catering to a demographic of primarily 58-year-old adults. The restructuring of the network began with cancellations of fan favorites such as *Nancy Drew*, *Tom Swift*, *The Flash*, and *Riverdale*. On October 31, 2022, The CW announced its decision to cancel DC's Stargirl after three seasons.

## Notable shows

* *iZombie*
* *The Flash*
* *Dynasty*

## Notes and Trivia

* The name, "CW", derives from the first letters of the names of its two parent corp (CBS and Warner).
* CBS Corporation and Time Warner each own 50% of the network.
* Since 2011, the current president is Mark Pedowitz.
* "Dare to Defy" is the CW's current Slogan (2015-present).
* Beginning with the 2018-2019 TV Schedule line-up, it was confirmed on February 14, 2018, that the CW would now have Sunday nights back after a nine-year absence (since 2009); thus going from the normal ten hours to adding two extra hours to their primetime and bumping it to twelve hours.
* The CW changed their logo in 2024.

## External links

* The CW on Wikipedia
* List of programs broadcast by The CW on Wikipedia.
* Official Site, Facebook and Youtube channel.

## References

1. ↑ "‘Stargirl’ Episodes To Air On The CW Network & Its Digital Platforms After DC Universe Debut" - Deadline
2. ↑ "Hulu adds The CW to its live TV streaming service" - The Verge
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/stargirl\_cw/status/1272672737836904448
4. ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cw-digital-studio-cwd-326165
5. ↑ https://deadline.com/2019/11/stargirl-episodes-the-cw-network-dc-universe-streaming-debut-linear-window-digital-1202792227/
6. ↑ https://www.cbr.com/the-cw-most-streamed-shows-stargirl-batwoman/
7. ↑ https://www.slashfilm.com/dc-universe-shut-down-sending-shows-to-hbo-max-and-relaunching-comic-subscription
8. ↑ ‘DC’s Stargirl’ Will End After Season 3 At The CW
9. ↑ http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/cw-sunday-primetime-block-1202698748/