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The CW Plus
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The CW Plus
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The CW Plus is a secondary national broadcast television syndication service feed of The CW, whose controlling stake of 75% is owned by Nexstar Media Group, with Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery holding their own 12.5% stakes. It is intended primarily for American television markets ranked #100 and above by Nielsen Media Research estimates. The service is primarily carried on digital subchannels and multichannel subscription television providers, although it maintains primary affiliations on full-power and low-power stations in certain markets.

Key Information

Along with airing the network's prime time, Saturday morning and live sports programming, The CW Plus offers a master schedule of first-run, off-network and brokered programs available for syndication distribution to fill the network's dark time. The CW handles programming and promotional services for The CW Plus at its corporate headquarters in Burbank, California (marketing services were handled through a separate division for the service until March 2008, when these operations were transferred to The CW's marketing department due to layoffs[1]); centralcasting operations for the CW Plus affiliates are hubbed at the California Video Center in Los Angeles.

History

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Background (The WB 100+ Station Group)

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Main article: The WB 100+ Station Group

The CW Plus traces its existence to The WB 100+ Station Group (initially known as The WeB until March 1999), a similar national feed of CW co-predecessor, The WB, which began operations on September 21, 1998. Conceived under the same concept as Foxnet (developed by WB network co-founder and original president Jamie Kellner during his preceding tenure as the original president of the Fox network), The WB 100+ was designed to distribute WB programming to small- and select medium-sized "white area" markets, primarily Designated Market Areas (DMA) ranked #100 and higher under annual Nielsen Market Universe estimates, that had five or fewer commercial television stations licensed within the designated market area through local cable providers (which owned affiliates of the feed individually or in consortiums, often entering into agreements with a local broadcast station to handle advertising and other management services for the WB 100+ outlet), or stations The WB refused to make affiliation offers due to overall low broadcasting quality standards or giving a priority to another network.[2][3][4]

By its design, the initial cable-only composition of The WB 100+ Station Group’s affiliate body acted as a workaround to issues that The WB had encountered since its December 1993 founding with securing broadcast affiliates; these difficulties resulted in The WB having to rely on the national superstation feed of Chicago affiliate WGN-TV (later WGN America, relaunched as NewsNation in March 2021) to distribute its programming to markets without existing over-the-air WB affiliates. (In certain “white area” markets, the only option for over-the-air carriage was to maintain a secondary affiliation with an existing network outlet, subjecting WB programs to being aired via tape delay outside of key timeslots.) Beginning in 2002, The WB 100+ added conventional broadcast affiliations in the few eligible markets that had at least five commercial stations; the feed continued to operate until The WB ended operations on September 17, 2006.

Development and concept

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Former logo for KDLH in Duluth, Minnesota. Similar logos are used by most CW Plus stations as well as some conventional CW affiliates.

On February 24, 2006, one month after CBS Corporation (later ViacomCBS, now Paramount Global) and Time Warner (later WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery) announced the launch of the new network, The CW formally released a proposal to prospective affiliates announcing the creation of The CW Plus, a similar single-network feed for smaller markets – covering the same areas that were served by The WB 100+.[5][6] While there was no guarantee that existing affiliates of The WB 100+ would automatically join The CW Plus, most of them (particularly cable-only affiliates) ultimately did join the new service, and programming transitioned seamlessly from The WB 100+ to The CW Plus.

Since The WB 100+ was created before digital television was easily available in the United States, most WB 100+ stations were distributed exclusively via local cable television providers, with a few main channel affiliations on broadcast television stations.[2][4][7] With its launch, The CW (along with MyNetworkTV) became among the first conventional broadcast networks in the U.S. to fully utilize digital multicasting to gain over-the-air coverage in markets that did not have enough television stations to maintain a traditional main channel affiliation (Fox, The WB and fellow CW predecessor UPN had a few subchannel-only affiliates shortly before The CW launched; however, over-the-air distribution in this manner was very limited at the time).[8]

In several markets served by a CW Plus station, the current affiliate may not be the same as the prior WB 100+ affiliate. Many local CW Plus outlets located in markets where the predecessor WB 100+ affiliate was cable-exclusive are instead carried on a digital subchannel of a local broadcast station, usually an affiliate of a competing "Big Four" network (ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox). This distribution method resulted in an unusual quirk for The CW itself in Florence–Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in which WWMB programmed its main channel as a conventional CW outlet (airing the network’s base schedule, accompanied by syndicated and paid programs that were acquired and slotted by the station)[9] while simultaneously offering the CW Plus feed (a byproduct of former WWMB owner SagamoreHill Broadcasting inheriting the assets of cable-only WB 100+ affiliate "WFWB”) over its DT2 subchannel. (WWMB’s main CW affiliation moved to the DT2 subchannel of ABC-affiliated sister WPDE-TV on September 20, 2021, with Dabl replacing CW network and syndicated programs previously shown on its main channel and TBD replacing The CW Plus on WWMB-DT2.[10]) Certain cable-only affiliates of The WB 100+ have been replaced completely by either a subchannel or main channel broadcast affiliation when The CW launched or joined The CW Plus only for a broadcast station that managed or acquired it to begin carrying it over-the-air at some point after its launch.

As with The WB 100+, CW Plus programming is delivered through a data server network that originally digitally transmitted locally and national advertisements, promos, station identifications and customized logo bugs for each individual affiliate to headends within the master control facilities of a local station or the offices of the multichannel television provider operating the local affiliate. That was the case with The WB 100+, promotions for syndicated programs aired on The CW Plus omit affiliate references – either in the form of verbal identification or use of the affiliate's logo – in favor of network branding; the timeslot cards also only list airtimes based on Eastern and Central Time Zone scheduling, with the announcer being used to read the promo's airtime card only identifying that the program airs "[today/tonight/day of week] on The CW."

Programming is relayed to a wireless PC-based system that downloads (through a data feed distributed via satellite), stores and inserts advertising during program breaks controlled via a playlist over the satellite-delivered national feed to the individual affiliate's home market; the units also transfer program feeds via address headers disseminated to each affiliate based on their call letters, transmit advertisements and program promotions, and generate a log of ads that have previously aired. The cost of these units is partially reimbursed by The CW, with no more than 50-percent of the purchase cost paid by the affiliate. Affiliates sent log files of local advertisements over the Internet to a traffic management system located at The CW's corporate offices in Burbank, which handles trafficking, dissemination of the program feed and specified local insertion of advertisements and promotions to each affiliate. After The CW stopped providing support for the traffic system and commercial server in September 2009, responsibility for ad trafficking and insertion was transferred to The CW Plus' individual affiliates, although The CW continues to handle programming and transmission operations.

CW Plus stations are generally managed and promoted by a local affiliate of a larger over-the-air television station, which may produce some local programming (such as morning and/or prime time newscasts), telecasts of local sports events, network events from CW Sports or syndicated national sports broadcasts; some affiliates, however, are operated by a local cable provider.

CW Plus affiliates each have their own local branding, which is usually a combination of the CW name with either the parent station/cable franchise's city of license or a regional descriptor of the area (such as "Northland" for Duluth and northeastern Minnesota, as seen in the logo to the above left). Unlike its predecessor, The WB 100+ Station Group, The CW Plus does not use call signs used solely for branding and/or supplementary identification purposes in a widespread fashion; while many cable-only WB 100+-turned-CW Plus affiliates have stopped using fictional call signs (which were not assigned by the Federal Communications Commission, as the agency does not issue licenses to cable channels), a few have continued to use the ones they had used while part of The WB 100+ Station Group, mainly doing so merely for identification purposes in local Nielsen diary-tabulated ratings reports.

The CW Plus originally maintained a separate website featuring promotions for CW network programs, search maps for CW Plus affiliates, programming schedules customizable to an affiliate's local time zone, and still promotional ads for CW network shows and syndicated programs are seen on the CW Plus feed. In May 2014, YourCWTV.com was discontinued as a standalone website, redirecting to The CW's main website at CWTV.com. However, the websites of all CW Plus affiliates continue to be hosted on the YourCWTV.com domain, featuring much of the aforementioned content seen on the national website; as well as links to websites and social media pages operated by the affiliate or a parent over-the-air station, and links to the affiliate's contact information, advertising services and (where applicable) the main website of a parent broadcast affiliate. A separate website for the service was reinstated in September 2017, under the CWPlusTV.com domain.

On January 5, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount Global (at the time ViacomCBS) and WarnerMedia (who was splitting off from AT&T and merging with Discovery, Inc.) were exploring a possible sale of either a majority stake or all of The CW, and that Nexstar Media Group, which became The CW's largest affiliate group when it acquired former WB-era network co-owner Tribune Broadcasting in 2019, was considered a leading bidder.[11] Network president/CEO Mark Pedowitz confirmed talks of a potential sale in a memo to CW staffers, but added that "It's too early to speculate what might happen" and that the network "must continue to do what we do best".[12][13] Nexstar CEO Perry Sook, for his company's part, hinted only that "I wouldn’t be surprised if we owned a broadcast network" and other cable networks that could "layer on top of our local content foundation" (Nexstar's network properties include the NewsNation cable network and broadcast diginets Antenna TV and Rewind TV).[14] In late June 2022, the WSJ indicated a purchase of The CW by Nexstar was close, with the company acquiring a 75-percent majority, while the remaining 25-percent would be shared equally by Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.[15] Nexstar confirmed the deal on August 15; on the same day, it took over The CW's operations as the sale did not need any regulatory approval.[16] Nexstar intended to make The CW profitable by 2025 by broadening the network's appeal - including sitcoms, older-targeting dramas, and procedurals in the lineup - and seeking cost-conscious programming, such as unscripted and syndicated programming.[17][18][19] The CW Plus was included in the deal, which was closed on October 3.[20]

Programming

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Main article: List of programs broadcast by The CW Plus
For a list of CW programming seen on the service during network time periods, see List of programs broadcast by The CW.

The CW Plus operates three separate feeds for the Eastern/Central, Mountain and Pacific Time Zones (the latter also acts as an hour-behind timeshift feed for the Alaska Time Zone with timeslot modifications for network daytime and certain syndicated weekend programs), and designs the master schedules of each feed so that The CW's broadcast affiliate feed aligns with the regional start time of most network programming; as such, the One Magnificent Morning educational block – which is designed to be tape-delayed – airs one hour early in some areas , compared to its preferred scheduling (including on affiliates in the Central and Alaska time zones). Formerly, The CW Daytime, which was also designed to be tape-delayed, had followed this scheduling as well until the block was discontinued on September 3, 2021, as a trade-off to the network's affiliates tied to its October 2 expansion of prime time programming to Saturdays.[21] Syndicated programs broadcast on The CW Plus during non-network programming hours as of September 2024 include The Steve Wilkos Show, Karamo, Divorce Court, We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, Friends, Dish Nation, The Good Doctor, Chicago P.D., TMZ on TV / TMZ Live, and Maury.

Like the predecessor WB 100+ Station Group, The CW Plus utilizes a dual programming structure differing from the traditional American broadcast programming model used by CW-affiliated stations in all but a couple of the Nielsen-ranked "top 100" television markets. To fill dayparts on The CW Plus not reserved to the main network feed, The CW – asserting programming acquisition duties traditionally handled by the local affiliate operator – purchases cash- and barter-sold programs distributed for first-run and off-network syndication to occupy most daytime and evening timeslots throughout the week, syndicated feature film packages to occupy afternoon and late access timeslots on Saturdays and Sundays, and paid programming purchased through time-buys with direct response infomercial production firms and teleministries to occupy overnight and some early afternoon timeslots.[5] The network's handling of these duties, along with the master schedule composition of the CW Plus feed, relieves the local affiliate's operator from needing to acquire and budget for syndicated programming to fill timeslots not occupied by The CW's base network schedule. Individual CW Plus affiliate operators handle advertising sales for local commercials inserted into the corresponding feed during designated ad breaks within network and syndicated programs aired on the service.

Prior to the debut of the Litton Entertainment-produced One Magnificent Morning block on the network in October 2014, the remaining two hours of programming that fulfill FCC educational programming guidelines which were not covered by The CW's predecessor children's program blocks – Kids' WB, The CW4Kids/Toonzai and Vortexx – was also taken care of by The CW Plus. However even after the debut of One Magnificent Morning, The CW Plus continued to offer syndicated educational programs on Saturday early afternoons immediately after the conclusion of the block, resulting the feed airing a net surplus of seven hours of E/I programming each week (five hours provided by The CW, and two hours supplied by The CW Plus) that far exceeded the FCC’s minimum three-hour requirement. The feed’s supplementary E/I content was reduced to just one half-hour in September 2015 (consisting solely of Elizabeth Stanton's Great Big World) and was concurrently shifted to a Saturday late-night timeslot; the supplementary syndication E/I window was eliminated in September 2016, leaving the shows aired within the One Magnificent Morning block as the only educational programming offered by the feed (which later reduced its runtime to three hours since 2017).

Operators of local CW Plus affiliates (whether a parent broadcast station or cable franchisee) can substitute syndicated programs on the feed’s schedule with alternative programming if the local syndication rights to a particular program on the CW Plus master schedule are held by the parent station’s main channel (if it is not already affiliated with The CW Plus), by any additional subchannels offered by the parent station or by a competing station within the DMA. Optionally, CW Plus broadcast affiliates may offer programming from a multicast-originated network (such as MeTV, This TV or Antenna TV) on a part-time basis during the feed’s designated paid programming time, particularly if the network being sourced lacks an existing full-time affiliate within the DMA. (Monroe, Louisiana affiliate KCWL-LD – the only CW Plus affiliate to maintain a secondary affiliation with that service – has carried CW competitor MyNetworkTV in the subfeed’s late-night paid programming slot since 2017, as late-night slotting increasingly became a common fate for MyNetworkTV in the years since its 2009 conversion from a television network to a programming service.)

The CW Plus offers three designated "Live Local News Windows" – a weekday morning window from 7:00–8:00 a.m. in all time zones and half-hour evening windows scheduled, depending on the time zone, nightly at 10:00 (ET/PT) or 9:00 p.m. (CT/MT/AT) and weekend evenings at 6:00 (ET/PT) or 5:00 p.m. (CT/MT/AT) – as options for affiliates to air local newscasts (either produced by the parent station or a station co-managed with the local CW Plus outlet, or via a news share agreement with a competing network affiliate) at their discretion. Although The CW has never carried any national news programming of its own, The CW Plus had served as a national carrier of syndicated morning news/talk program The Daily Buzz, which aired on the feed from September 2006 until September 2014, eight months prior to the program's April 2015 cancellation. (The predecessor WB 100+ Station Group had originally acquired the national syndication rights for the program, which aired on that feed from September 2002 until its conversion into The CW Plus.[22][23])

Availability

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As of 2025, The CW Plus has current and pending affiliation agreements with 123 television outlets encompassing 44 states and the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands, consisting of 121 broadcast affiliates (109 of which serve as subchannel-only affiliates and the remaining 18 being primary channel affiliations) and five cable-only affiliates. Counting mainly over-the-air affiliates of the service, The CW Plus covers an estimated national audience reach of 73,120,898 U.S. residents or 23.40-percent of all households with at least one television set.[24]

Availability of CW Plus stations through pay television services varies depending on the provider; while CW Plus outlets are usually carried by major cable, fiber optic and IPTV providers (including multiple-system and private cable operators) in markets served by a subchannel or cable-only affiliate of the service, some rural pay television franchises that do not carry a local CW Plus affiliate via an existing distribution agreement with a broadcast affiliate or through the absence of an agreement with the operator of a cable-only affiliate carry CW stations from adjacent larger markets.

In certain markets, satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network carry stations that maintain primary affiliations with The CW Plus – and in some cases, also carry a subchannel-only affiliate of the service – as part of their local station tiers; however in areas served by a cable-only or subchannel affiliate, subscribers of both providers can only receive out-of-market broadcast affiliates and owned-and-operated stations of The CW (DirecTV carries affiliates from neighboring markets that have main channel affiliations with the network in some smaller markets, with the provider's West Coast network outlet KTLA in Los Angeles, which is available in lieu of a local or nearby affiliate in others; Dish Network provides CW programming to its subscribers in smaller markets through de facto network flagship WPIX—New York City,[a] O&Os WDCW—Washington, D.C., KTLA—Los Angeles and KWGN-TV—Denver, (all of which were previously owned by Tribune Broadcasting until the closure of Nexstar's acquisition of its corporate parent, Tribune Media, in September 2019)), which are available as part of its a la carte superstation tier, which is no longer offered to new customers.

Since the conversion of the CW Plus feeds to a high definition schedule in June 2012, many of The CW Plus's stations have converted to carrying the high definition feed on an over-the-air signal, though it is usually transmitted in 720p rather than the network's 1080i master resolution due to technical considerations for their parent station's main network feed – except in the few markets where a CW Plus broadcast affiliate does not also have an affiliation with a major broadcast network – on their primary channel. Before that, the parent stations also carried the main CW signal in HD mixed with the CW Plus schedule to provide high definition programming from the network to local cable and satellite providers.

See also

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Notes

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

The CW Plus

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The CW Plus is a national syndication service and secondary feed of Television Network, delivering programming to smaller U.S. television markets via digital subchannels, low-power stations, and non-broadcast cable outlets. Launched on September 18, 2006, alongside the debut of The CW itself, The CW Plus was established to extend the network's reach into areas lacking full-power affiliates, targeting markets with fewer than 350,000 television households. It provides a complete 24-hour , featuring The CW's primetime scripted series and sports content, augmented by first-run and off-network syndicated programming from distributors such as , , and Disney/. Outside of network-provided hours, affiliates often air brokered local programming, movies, or additional syndication. Operated by The CW Network, LLC—a originally formed by and —The CW Plus falls under the majority control of , which acquired a 75% stake in The CW in October 2022. Nexstar, the largest owner of CW affiliates, operates 54 CW and CW Plus stations that collectively reach more than 45% of the network's national audience (as of 2024), including key markets like New York and . With over 100 affiliates nationwide, The CW Plus ensures near-universal coverage of The CW's programming in smaller communities, adapting to the shift toward digital multicasting since its inception.

Overview and Purpose

Launch and Initial Concept

In early 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Television, the joint venture partners behind the formation of The CW, announced plans for The CW Plus as a specialized syndication service to extend the network's reach into smaller markets beyond the top 99 designated market areas (DMAs). This initiative stemmed from the merger of UPN and The WB, aiming to maintain broad national coverage without relying solely on owned-and-operated (O&O) stations in major cities. The service was positioned as a digital multicast feed, leveraging the impending analog-to-digital transition to provide affordable affiliation options for low-power stations and cable operators in midsize and rural areas. The CW Plus directly succeeded The WB 100+ Station Group, a similar cable-centric service that had served smaller markets since 1998, ensuring continuity for existing affiliates during the network transition. Many 100+ outlets carried over to The CW Plus, with programming adjustments to align with The CW's primetime lineup of dramas, sitcoms, and reality series, supplemented by syndicated content such as morning shows and movies. This seamless integration minimized disruptions, allowing stations to rebrand local feeds as CW affiliates while incorporating network-provided elements like news inserts and promotional spots. The CW Plus officially launched on September 18, 2006, coinciding with 's network debut, and initially comprised around 50 outlets, including digital subchannels, low-power broadcasters, and cable channels in underserved regions. As a national feed tailored for these markets, it emphasized cost-effective distribution via digital subchannels and cable carriage, enabling to achieve wider penetration—targeting 50% national coverage—without the expense of full O&O development. Early affiliates included stations like KTEN-DT in Sherman-Ada (Texas-Oklahoma) and KREN in , which aired the service on secondary digital channels to blend local and national content.

Role in The CW Network

The CW Plus operates as a syndicated secondary feed of , specifically targeting television markets ranked 100 through 210 by Nielsen designated market area (DMA) rankings, in contrast to the primary CW affiliates that dominate the top 99 markets. This structure allows to extend its programming to smaller communities without relying solely on full-power broadcast stations in those areas, often utilizing digital subchannels, low-power translators, or cable carriage. The service plays a vital role in achieving the network's national coverage, complementing main affiliates to reach virtually all U.S. television households and supporting ad revenue distribution by opening up inventory in less competitive, localized markets. With approximately 100 affiliates, The CW Plus covers smaller that collectively represent about 18% of the nation's approximately 126 million television households (as of 2025), ensuring broader audience access and revenue opportunities for The CW's content. In distinction from the core CW feed, The CW Plus provides customized scheduling flexibility, incorporating dedicated time slots for insertions, paid programming blocks, and syndicated fare to better suit the operational realities of smaller-market outlets. It maintains separate feeds adjusted for time zones—Eastern/Central, , and Pacific—to align primetime and broadcasts with regional viewing patterns, enhancing viewer retention without uniform national timing. Following Nexstar Media Group's 75% acquisition of in October 2022, the network has strategically ramped up sports content integration, including ACC and Pac-12 college football games, NASCAR Xfinity Series races, events, (from October 2024), and events (starting 2026), to drive engagement and ad sales in the viability-challenged smaller markets reliant on The CW Plus. This shift has positioned sports as over 40% of the network's programming hours, bolstering the service's appeal in non-major metros.

Historical Development

Predecessor Services

The WB Network, launched in 1995 as a joint venture between Time Warner's division and the Tribune Company, sought to reach younger demographics through youth-oriented programming in markets underserved by traditional broadcast affiliates. To extend its reach into smaller markets, The WB introduced The WB 100+ Station Group on September 21, 1998, as a cable-centric distribution service designed for areas outside the top 100 Nielsen-designated markets. This initiative provided a national feed of WB programming to cable systems in over 100 markets, where broadcast affiliate penetration remained low, with only a handful of traditional over-the-air stations participating. The operational model of The WB 100+ emphasized cable carriage through partnerships with operators such as Adelphia Communications, Century Communications, and , delivering content without subscriber fees in exchange for a share of local advertising revenue. By 1999, it had added approximately 750,000 cable households and aimed to reach 5 million subscribers, contributing to near-90% national household clearance for The WB when combined with broadcast affiliates. The feed included The WB's prime-time lineup, children's blocks like , and syndicated shows such as reruns of Friends and , with provisions for local ad insertions but minimal original local programming. The service encountered challenges stemming from its heavy dependence on analog cable infrastructure, which limited technical flexibility and integration in an evolving broadcast landscape, alongside restricted local content options that confined affiliates to national feeds with basic branding and commercials. Initial carriage negotiations proved difficult, as some operators were reluctant to dedicate channel space, though strong ratings from hits like 7th Heaven and facilitated broader adoption. The WB 100+ ceased operations on September 17, 2006, following the merger of and into The CW Network, with the majority of its cable partners transitioning to the successor service, The CW Plus, to maintain programming continuity in small markets.

Formation and Expansion (2006–2022)

The CW Plus was established in early 2006 as a national syndication service to deliver programming to smaller markets for the newly formed network, functioning as a direct successor to The WB 100+ Station Group by providing a standardized feed that combined CW primetime shows with syndicated content for cable-only and low-power stations. Announced shortly after the January 24 merger of and into , the service was designed to maintain affiliations in markets outside the top 100 designated market areas (DMAs), where full CW affiliates were scarce. It launched on September 18, 2006, alongside the CW network, offering affiliates flexibility for local insertions while ensuring 24-hour coverage through a mix of network-supplied and acquired programming. Post-2009 , The Plus experienced rapid growth by leveraging newly available digital subchannels on full-power broadcast stations, enabling cost-effective expansion into secondary streams without requiring standalone licenses. This adoption facilitated the service's expansion, primarily in mid- and small-sized markets, where it filled gaps left by the closure of predecessor services and provided an accessible entry for stations to carry content. By 2016, the service encompassed 137 digital outlets, underscoring its role in broadening the 's national footprint through subchannel carriage. In the 2010s, programming adjustments enhanced the service's appeal amid evolving viewer habits and schedule voids in CW's lineup. These changes allowed affiliates to customize feeds with provisions for local opt-outs to accommodate station-specific content such as news or sports. Affiliate fluctuations marked the service's evolution through the late 2010s, including losses in select markets stemming from corporate mergers, such as the failed 2017 Sinclair Broadcast Group acquisition of Tribune Media, which prompted affiliation renegotiations and divestitures affecting CW carriage in overlapping areas. Offsetting these were gains via renewed cable agreements, preserving access in hybrid broadcast-cable setups. Pre-2022, The CW Plus functioned as a cost center within the broader CW operation, prioritizing affiliation fees charged to stations—similar to those from major networks—over profitability, as the CW overall served as a loss-leader investment for its CBS and Warner Bros. owners since inception. This culminated in Nexstar Media Group's 2022 majority acquisition of The CW, marking a shift toward financial sustainability.

Ownership and Operations

Ownership Structure

The CW Plus operates as a syndication service under The CW Network, LLC, which was established in 2006 as a between (now ) and Warner Bros. Entertainment (now part of ). This structure provided equal ownership and shared operational control for 's programming distribution, including secondary feeds like The CW Plus for smaller markets. In October 2022, completed its acquisition of a 75% majority ownership stake in Network, LLC—including The CW Plus—for no upfront cash consideration, but by assuming approximately $100 million in the network's existing debt. and each retained a 12.5% minority stake, licensing their content libraries to the network on a non-exclusive basis while ceding majority control to . Under Nexstar's majority ownership, the company gained full operational control over Network, LLC, directing programming strategy, affiliate relations, and cost management for services like The CW Plus. The network's headquarters remained in , in the metropolitan area, supporting seamless integration with Nexstar's portfolio of over 200 owned or operated stations, many of which host The CW Plus as a to extend network reach efficiently. Nexstar's financial strategy post-acquisition targeted profitability for by 2025 through reduced programming costs, increased live sports content, and operational synergies, with The CW Plus contributing by utilizing low-cost subchannel placements on Nexstar stations in underserved markets to minimize distribution expenses. However, in 2025 updates, Nexstar adjusted the profitability timeline to 2026 amid ongoing investments, while reporting progress: The CW's losses narrowed by 24% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the prior year, with full-year 2025 losses projected to decline by about 25% from 2024 levels.

Distribution Methods and Technical Feed

The CW Plus maintains three distinct time zone feeds—Eastern/Central, Mountain, and Pacific—to ensure programming alignment with regional schedules across the . These feeds deliver a mix of network content and syndicated programming, primarily serving smaller markets through automated operations that facilitate seamless distribution to affiliates. The service is carried predominantly on digital subchannels of local broadcast stations, such as those affiliated with major networks like or , with additional availability via cable and providers in areas lacking over-the-air affiliates. This distribution model targets markets outside the top 99 designated market areas, enabling broad reach without dedicated full-power stations in every location. Non-broadcast carriage supports access in underserved regions, complementing the multicast strategy on digital subchannels. Since Nexstar Media Group's acquisition of a 75% controlling stake in in 2022, The CW Plus has evolved technically to include compatibility with the standard, which Nexstar has deployed to cover over 50% of U.S. television households by early 2024, enabling enhanced video quality and interactive features while maintaining legacy ATSC 1.0 signals through 2027. Streaming integrations have also advanced, with content accessible via The CW App, which offers free live and on-demand viewing and has surpassed 100 million downloads. Nexstar's headquarters operations in , oversee content automation and syndication logistics for the service. Post-2022 enhancements under Nexstar include expanded affiliation agreements with groups like , , and Gray Television, alongside investments in sports programming rights such as and NASCAR Xfinity Series events to drive viewership. By 2025, sports content, including the full NASCAR Xfinity Series season and , accounted for nearly 40% of programming, boosting viewership and operational efficiencies for The CW Plus. These efforts support a push toward profitability by 2026 through a low nine-figure investment, featuring a revamped advertising sales structure and data-driven ad insertion technologies to improve revenue from local and national spots. The CW reported $250 million in net revenue in 2023, reflecting growth amid ongoing segment investments.

Programming Content

Network Programming Integration

The CW Plus serves as a national syndication feed that fully integrates the prime time programming of network, delivering scripted series such as All American and formerly , alongside unscripted offerings like game shows and reality competitions, to affiliates in smaller markets. This block airs from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET on through and from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, forming the core of the service's evening schedule. To accommodate varying time zones, the feed is tape-delayed for Central, Mountain, and Pacific regions, aligning national content with local windows while preserving the network's original broadcast timing. Beginning in 2023, The CW Plus incorporated the network's expanded sports programming under , including live events such as weekly broadcasts starting in October 2024 and NASCAR Xfinity Series races throughout the season. These integrations feature adjusted live feeds for smaller markets, enabling real-time or near-real-time viewing without requiring extensive local infrastructure, and are slotted primarily into weekend or special event windows. This addition enhances the service's appeal by blending traditional with high-profile athletic content, all drawn directly from The CW's national lineup. On Saturday mornings, The CW Plus carries the block, a three-hour educational and informational programming segment produced by Litton Entertainment, fulfilling mandates for children's educational content. Airing typically from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. , it features live-action series focused on , , and environmental topics aimed at teens and families. The overall schedule framework of The CW Plus prioritizes seamless network feed integration for these core slots, distinguishing it from local insertions by maintaining national consistency while permitting affiliates limited flexibility outside and protected blocks.

Syndicated and Local Insertions

The CW Plus incorporates a selection of syndicated programming to fill non-network time slots, particularly in access periods from 4 to 7 p.m. and late-night hours, providing off-network reruns and first-run talk shows tailored for smaller markets. Representative examples include The Steve Wilkos Show and Karamo, which air in the late afternoon to attract daytime viewers with dramatic and lifestyle content, alongside reality series like Live PD Presents: Police Patrol. These selections emphasize cost-effective, high-rated fare that complements the core CW prime-time lineup without overlapping network originals. Early morning hours from 5 to 9 a.m. on The CW Plus are predominantly dedicated to paid programming, featuring infomercials and segments to generate revenue in low-viewership periods for affiliates in smaller markets. Programs such as Bath Remodel and various direct-response advertisements occupy these slots, allowing stations to monetize airtime through brokered content deals that offset operational costs. This approach has been a staple since the service's inception, prioritizing financial viability over broad entertainment appeal in off-peak times. Affiliates of The CW Plus have opportunities for local insertions in designated windows, such as a 30-minute block immediately preceding , where they can air station-produced , weather updates, or promotional content to engage regional audiences. Common practices include brief local newscasts or community-focused segments, enabling affiliates to insert market-specific programming while adhering to the national feed's structure. These insertions foster a connection with viewers in underserved areas, though they remain limited to avoid disrupting the syndicated and network flow. Following Nexstar Media Group's acquisition of a majority stake in in 2022, The CW Plus has shifted toward an increased emphasis on syndicated content to enhance profitability, incorporating more series and off-network packages aligned with cost-efficiency goals. This includes expanded use of movie packages and high-quality reruns in fringe slots, reflecting broader network strategies to reduce production expenses while maintaining affiliate revenue streams. Such adjustments have streamlined operations for the 100-plus affiliates, prioritizing sustainable programming economics in smaller markets.

Availability and Reach

Current Affiliates and Markets

As of 2023, The CW Plus has approximately 112 affiliation agreements with television outlets, consisting of 106 broadcast stations and 6 cable channels, spanning 44 states and U.S. territories. These affiliates primarily serve smaller designated market areas (DMAs) outside the top 100, providing the syndicated feed to communities where full CW Network affiliates are not present. The service reaches about 9 million households nationwide (9% of U.S. TV households), contributing to The CW's overall coverage in underserved regions. Broadcast affiliates dominate the distribution, often operating as digital subchannels of existing stations or low-power translators. For instance, in the market (DMA 108), The CW Plus is carried on KBOI-DT2, a subchannel owned by . Similarly, in the territory, the feed is available via KTKB-LD (channel 26), a low-power station serving the Hagåtña area and providing CW programming to local viewers. Cable carriage is more limited but includes dedicated channels in select markets, such as those operated by independent providers in rural areas. This mix of broadcast and cable delivery ensures broad accessibility in non-metro regions, with over 90% of affiliates utilizing subchannel placements to minimize operational costs. Carriage on major and cable providers varies by market, reflecting local affiliate availability rather than a national superstation feed. On and , The CW Plus signals are typically included as part of local channel lineups in participating , with both providers carrying the service in over 100 smaller markets. No significant carriage disputes affecting The CW Plus have been reported in 2025. Under Nexstar Media Group's majority ownership of , the affiliate base for The CW Plus has seen minor expansions and stabilizations in 2025, including transitions in small markets like (DMA 141), where the feed shifted to a new local outlet amid broader network realignments. These adjustments build on 2024 additions in markets such as , and , without altering the overall count substantially from prior years. In 2025, initiated resets of affiliation agreements representing more than two-thirds of its subscriber base, potentially affecting CW Plus distribution in smaller markets.

Former Affiliates and Changes

Over the years, The CW Plus has seen affiliate changes driven by corporate mergers, carriage disputes with cable and providers, and station owners reprioritizing digital subchannels for higher-revenue networks like or . These shifts have led to the service being dropped in various small markets, often resulting in transitions to independent programming or other syndication services. In the , carriage disputes contributed to temporary or permanent discontinuations on cable systems in select markets. For instance, in the area of , The CW Plus affiliate KCWQ-LD was removed from some cable lineups due to a with local providers, affecting access for subscribers in that region. Similar issues occurred during broader retransmission fee negotiations, such as the 2019 Nexstar-Spectrum dispute, where The CW Plus feeds were substituted in markets like , leading to brief blackouts before reinstatement via national feeds. Mergers and acquisitions have prompted significant affiliate losses, particularly in smaller markets where The CW Plus operates. During Sinclair Broadcast Group's 2014 station swaps with Media General as part of the latter's merger with LIN TV, Sinclair relinquished CW affiliations in markets including Charleston, South Carolina, where the service was transferred to the acquiring group, altering local distribution. The failed 2017-2018 Sinclair-Tribune merger attempt also led to planned divestitures that reprioritized affiliations, resulting in drops in several small markets as stations shifted to alternative programming to comply with FCC ownership limits. More recently, post-2022 changes under Nexstar Media Group's majority ownership of have accelerated affiliate realignments toward Nexstar-controlled stations. In April 2024, opted not to renew affiliations with E.W. Scripps-owned stations in seven markets, including smaller ones like (KATC-DT2) and (KSBY-DT2), where The CW Plus was carried on digital subchannels. These stations will transition to independent formats focusing on and , with the affiliation moving to Nexstar properties such as KLFY-TV in Lafayette and in San Luis Obispo starting September 1, 2024. Nexstar cited strategic alignment with its owned-and-operated outlets to enhance profitability and content control as the primary reason.

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