The CW has opted not to renew affiliations with E.W. Scripps-owned stations in seven markets.
Nexstar Media Group, the broadcast network’s corporate parent, says it is “confident” that replacement deals will keep The CW on the air across the U.S. Affected markets include Detroit, Miami, Tucson, AZ; Corpus Christi, TX; San Luis Obispo, CA; Norfolk, VA; and Lafayette, LA.
In a statement provided to Deadline, Nexstar said the CW affiliations in Norfolk and Lafayette would be moving to Nexstar-owned stations as of September 1.
“We have interest from other station groups in the five remaining markets and expect to make announcements about those affiliations soon,” the statement said. “We are prepared for this transition and confident that The CW will continue to reach 100% of US television households without interruption.”
Nexstar took a 75% stake in The CW in 2022, for no upfront considerations. Scripps has also moved into national broadcast recently, acquiring ION for $2.65 billion in a deal that closed in 2021.
Shifting away from its longtime practice of packing its schedule with scripted dramas, The CW has increased its live sports and unscripted offerings. ION, similarly, has ventured into live sports, setting aside Friday nights starting next month for WNBA games.
WMYD-TV in Detroit had just started its CW affiliation agreement last November.
The news about the Scripps stations follows news earlier this week that DirecTV has added access to CW affiliate stations in eight major cities for customers of its streaming bundle, DirecTV Stream. The stations are in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven CT, Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle.
